


Everlasting scarlet

by caraboidea, itakemyteagreen



Category: Hunter X Hunter
Genre: AU, BDSM, Blood, M/M, will get messed up later, workplace harrassment
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-03-24
Updated: 2015-12-25
Packaged: 2018-03-19 11:16:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 37,201
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3608100
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/caraboidea/pseuds/caraboidea, https://archiveofourown.org/users/itakemyteagreen/pseuds/itakemyteagreen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In a world without hunters – where revenge is not an option, Kurapika has chosen the academic life. His studies lead him to what seems to be a fortuitous internship opportunity at a famous museum, where he crosses paths with its eccentric director Chrollo Lucilfer.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys, we would like to welcome you to our messed up world of Kurokura. We find there is far too little of this sort of thing so we’re referencing the shittiest piece of fanfic for the shittiest canon ever to make fun of ourselves for liking a trash ship. But before you start we want to make sure you know a couple of things about this story:
> 
> 1) This story is an AU with a fairly big emphasis on the A. We've placed the characters you know and love in situations that are very different from the Hunter universe and it's changed them a little but we hope that you'll run with it. The world we've created is very similar to our own, but the circumstances should make themselves clear while you read.
> 
> 2) This story _will_ become very violent and gory at a later stage, but we believe the first half can be read and enjoyed by anyone. We will of course warn you in time before shit goes down, but be aware that this fic will be headed pretty fucking deep into hell eventually.
> 
> On the other hand - If you really squint you might be able to read the first half as romantic. ( ~~About as romantic as 50 Shades of Grey is i mean HONESTLY WHAT DID YOU THINK WE WERE REFERENCING HERE~~ ). Do this at your own risk.

Kurapika closed his eyes and breathed in deeply. Balling his hands into fists, he waited alone outside the door of Chrollo Lucilfer’s office. He hadn’t expected to receive a reply to his internship application, let alone be invited for an interview with the Museum’s director. His grades were impressive and he was a competitive student. But with an undistinguished and haphazard background at school and a still incomplete degree at the only mediocre university he could afford, he felt as though he had reached a little too far.

The Landattle Museum of History had a respected reputation and the internship he had applied for was a highly coveted role. There was only one place per year, and every year hundreds of students and graduates applied. The role could be counted as the work-study component of his university degree and included accommodation, expenses and even an allowance of 150,000 marus a month. There was even a scope for a permanent job after graduation. It was everything an aspiring anthropologist like him could hope for.

Given the circumstances, he wondered why the hallway was so quiet. He hadn’t seen another soul since he had been directed upstairs to wait outside the director’s office.

By himself, he had time to survey his surroundings - even the hallway was lavishly decorated. All dark wood, dim lighting and paintings he recognised as being worth the price of his entire education. He felt entirely out of place here with his cheapish suit and unkempt hair, but he shook his head to dispel the thought. He had no doubt that he could compete with the best from the major league schools, and against all odds he had been given a chance to prove it. At any moment now Chrollo Lucilfer would call him into his office, and he would do his best to convince him that he was perfect for the job.

\---

For six years Chrollo Lucilfer had hoped that this day would somehow come. He had prepared and planned from time to time, waiting for a chance to present itself. Had such an opportunity never come, he was sure he would have created one for himself. But that had now become unnecessary. The last Kurta alive had come to him instead, with everything the museum was looking for. On top of being exactly what Chrollo wanted, that is. He could still barely believe that application had arrived. As his eyes passed over the photo of a blond young man in the upper corner a small smirk pulled at his lips.

He had to admit he was impressed. He was well aware of the conditions the unfortunate survivor of his little project must have had to face. The fact that he had risen this far was indeed spectacular. The university wasn't the best, but with grades and recommendations like his choosing the boy would barely look odd at all. Things were going almost _too_ well.

He stood up from his chair, straightened the finest jacket he owned and checked himself in the antique mirror on the wall. As a final touch he adjusted the fabric covering his forehead a little. His plan required him looking perfect.

As he opened the door to his own office, he let a gentle and wide smile cover his lips. His eyes found the blond boy, sitting straight as a tree, before he made himself known. The picture hadn't lied.

Hand on the doorframe, he finally called out. "Mr. Kurapika Saade”

At the sound of his name, Kurapika started slightly in his chair. Confused for a moment, he looked up to meet the museum director’s eyes before catching himself and standing up. Smoothing himself out, he held his hand out and introduced himself.

“Ah, yes... I’m Kurapika Saade.” He said, cursing himself inwardly for sounding so stiff. “Thank you for inviting me.”

He hadn’t expected the director to come to the door himself. Nor had he expected the rarely seen and supposedly eccentric Chrollo Lucilfer to be so young and fashionable. He was tall and well built, an effect accentuated by the tailoring of his clearly expensive suit. His somewhat messy dark hair was loose, ineffectively kept at bay by a cloth headband that covered his forehead, and he had accessorised with a pair of rather obvious earrings. They would have looked strange on anyone else, but on him, it somehow seemed to work for the look. From what he had heard from his friends back in university, the director was said to have been “a little creepy,” but smiling there with his arm propped up against the doorframe, he looked more like a friendly young socialite than the freakish museum director Kurapika had imagined.

“It’s good to have the chance to meet you.” He tried again, his voice firmer now. “I’m grateful for your taking the time to see me today.”

Chrollo let go of the doorframe and shook his hand. “The pleasure is all mine, Kurapika. May I call you that?” He straightened out and gave the boy a warm smile before turning around and holding the door open so the boy could follow him into the office. “Please come inside.”

Kurapika's eyes widened, a little taken aback by how fast the director moved to address him by his first name. Perhaps the smiling man was just being friendly - he couldn’t be sure.

"Please feel free," he said, doing his best to disguise the uncertainty in his voice.

As Kurapika passed him Chrollo noticed a single, red earring hanging below the boy’s hair and suppressed a smirk. With his first name and jewellery like that anyone with a high enough level of knowledge in related subjects could figure it out. _One wouldn’t even need to be responsible_ , he thought. He wondered if the boy was aware of how obvious he was.

He walked past the boy and heard him follow him as he made his way across the room to his large, dark wood desk. Without looking at him, he pulled out the chair in front of the desk for the boy to sit in before moving to his own, much softer chair. Legs crossed and leaning on one armrest he finally looked up at the boy again, charming smile still in place.

“Please do sit down, and then tell me about yourself.”

Kurapika took a deep breath and composed himself; his back straight and his posture technically perfect. He had prepared for this question, and with a polite but nervous smile, he launched into his rehearsed reply with ease.

“Of course, thank you so much for giving me this opportunity to introduce myself,” he started, “I am a final year anthropology student at Knives City University. My current focus is on extinct or near-extinct tribes and I am in the middle of completing a dissertation on this topic, due to be completed next term. At which point I believe I will be more than ready to take on an active role in the research community - a major reason for why I’ve applied to this program.”

Leaning on one hand, Chrollo reached out and pulled the boy’s application closer. He browsed the papers while the boy explained his reasons for applying.

“My interest in the preservation and study of other cultures is tied to first hand experience of growing up in diverse environments. The Landattle Museum is known to be at the forefront of such efforts and I hope that this internship will give me the opportunity to expand on my work and contribute valuable knowledge to the team...”

He’d practiced well, Chrollo could see. Everything he said matched what he had already read in the boy’s application, despite the nervousness. Convincing, and _cute_.

He straightened up and brushed some hair that had come loose behind his ear. This was going to be interesting. Kurapika seemed good at keeping up professional appearances, but that wasn’t what Chrollo wanted at all.

“Yes, that’s what your application told me.” He smiled and pointed at the small pile of papers in front of him. “In fact, your dissertation looks promising, I’m quite interested in it. I’d love to hear more about it.”

“If you’d let me know which parts you’re interested in, I could --” Kurapika started, but Chrollo cut him off by turning his application upside down. He slipped it over to a far corner of his desk, before leaning back into his chair again and looking at Kurapika.

“Tell me something that isn’t in the application. Actually-- would you like some coffee? Or are you more of a tea person?”

Kurapika blinked and frowned in confusion - had he perhaps been too obvious in reciting a speech he had prepared? He shrugged the uncertainty off, attempting to re-assume his professional air with caution. It wasn’t _that_ unheard of for bosses to be this friendly at first interview. Perhaps he was just used to the idea of a more formal hierarchical work culture.

"Ah, um… I’m more of a tea person,” He replied, “but I do like coffee - mostly in the mornings. I’m quite alright with either - I wouldn’t want to put you to too much trouble..."

“Oh, please don’t worry about it”, Chrollo replied, sending yet another warm smile the younger boy’s way. He picked up the phone to call a staff member. He could feel the boy’s eyes on him as he waited for someone to pick up. After three rings, someone did.

“Chrollo here, I’d like you to bring me one coffee and one tea, please. Yes, I’m sure that works fine. Oh no, just come right inside when they’re done, we won’t be disturbed.”

As his wish had gone through he closed the call and turned back to Kurapika, charming smile still intact. “I hope you don’t mind green tea.”

“Green tea is perfect,” Kurapika replied, a little overwhelmed. “You needn’t have gone to the trouble, but I appreciate it.”

“So, do you have any hobbies, or do you rot away in archives like I tend to do?”

Kurapika paused a little to consider the question. How much was he supposed to say? He had mentioned a few of his hobbies on his application in the relevant section, but he hadn’t expected to have to talk at length about them.

“I.. I do spend a lot of my time in archives too,” he said after a moment. “Resources at my university are scarce so it’s quite time-consuming to track material down, but I do read recreationally as well.”

Chrollo nodded. Kurapika talked in a steady, confident and rather feminine voice. It was nice to listen to. It was also easy to imagine the boy with his nose in books for days in a row. It was rather easy to imagine him in a lot of ways. “What sorts of books?” he asked.

"Literary fiction, poetry, I like to keep up with the charts and read the bestsellers." Kurapika said, "The top non-fiction books and popular science titles are high on my list when they come out too. There are a few authors I'm interested in and I try to keep up with their releases, though I've fallen behind recently…"

He trailed off a little, wondering if he ought to say more as the door opened and a sharply dressed young man shuffled in with a tray and two fine china sets of tea and coffee. On his first sip he noted the exceptional quality of the leaf: Chrollo spared no expense, even on potential interns.

 _This is like another world_ Kurapika thought to himself. He wanted to close his eyes to savour the taste, but he found himself watching Chrollo as he took his coffee, almost forgetting to sip again. The man’s movements were confident and stylish, yet dignified enough not to be showy. It was hard to believe that he spent most of his time in dusty archives...

“Aside from that, I feel that keeping fit is important so I attend martial arts classes and make time to train on my own between lectures.” he added hurriedly, catching himself as he brought the cup to his lips again.

“I’m quite fond of martial arts, myself. And there’s a lot of cultural heritage involved in that,” Chrollo commented. “A lot of lost traditions as well.”

He leaned back in his chair again and clasped his hands on the table in front of him. “On that subject, are there any tribes you are especially interested in?” He waited with his eyes locked on the student, much interested in his answer.

Kurapika tensed in his chair at the question. It was natural to ask about his particular interest considering his research topic, but outside the context of his dissertation it was a loaded question.

“Within the topic of extinct tribes I think the most obvious one to mention is the Kurta,” He said, unconsciously tucking his hair back behind his left ear and touching the earring. It was best if he spoke fast, to get what was too close to him out of the way first. “But I feel they have been well researched and treated as a trendy case study by the academic community already. So I’ve framed my research on the cases of the Ebony and Miha clans, which followed a similar pattern...”

Chrollo found himself thinking this was definitely too good to be true. While things were obvious to the director, especially with that earring, he was good at keeping things general. _Well, he’s been hiding for six years._

“In both those cases, the tribes were wiped out in a single event with few or no survivors. Though they aren’t recent I think it’s important to take a close look at them. I believe there are many other clans at risk, so by analysing how they are remembered and the way relics of their culture survive today... I think we can make real progress in understanding what gets lost and what survives, as well as prevent such heritage from being completely obliterated in the future.”

Chrollo watched Kurapika’s every move, and yet it was almost hard to determine if his interest in the other tribes was only a disguise or genuine. He would guess genuine, which was both fascinating and, one could say, inspiring.

“Of course,” Kurapika added, “in a just world none of it would get lost at all… “

The irony of the situation and the boy's words right then and there was so great Chrollo felt almost sad he couldn't share it with him.

"I agree with you, of course. Ideally, the world would never have to suffer these losses." He underlined his public opinion with a sip of coffee.

"However, with the world as it is, it is our duty to preserve and study what remains." He shifted a little in his chair and locked his eyes to the Kurta's face again.

"I am happy to hear you mention the Miha tribe, in fact I have studied them myself, to some extent. You must be aware of our closed collection of materials related to them? It is a long time project of ours. However, the gathering of what little remains takes so much time in itself there haven't been any proper chances to study it extensively yet, especially not in relation to other tribes..."

At the mention of the museum's closed collection, Kurapika's face lit up in obvious, genuine interest. During his research he had come across certain resources that were available only in the archives here. Did bringing them up mean that Chrollo was willing to let him take a look? Perhaps that was too much to ask or hope for - as a prospective intern he wouldn't feel comfortable demanding even more of the museum's time and indulgence - but even an afternoon would be just enough for him to get at least some of the insight he wanted…

"I'm aware of your work on the Miha," He said, his enthusiasm showing through in his tone. "I've not had the chance to make any requests to view some of your more exclusive material, but I believe the resources here are the most comprehensive in the world at the moment. Especially since research on such old incidents can sometimes be neglected in favour of more exciting discoveries…"

He paused, weighing his options. He had to try - he'd never forgive himself if he let the opportunity go.

"I realise this may be a bold question, but I believe the work you're doing is of great value. Anything I can contribute to the study might be of interest to you as well, so is there any chance I might be able to have access to the collection? I mean, perhaps for just a few hours, whether or not I am offered this internship?"

Kurapika waited for the director's reply in silence. The man was smiling, but there was something about the smile that unsettled him. Unsure of whether to chalk it up to nervousness, Kurapika watched him, almost too afraid to breathe.

Chrollo reached out to pick up his application, making a show of looking through the pages, though Kurapika got the feeling that he was really the one being scrutinised. Perhaps he had overstepped his boundaries, perhaps this had all been a mistake. He almost opened his mouth to say something, but Chrollo interrupted him by spreading the papers out on the table as he spoke, still smiling a gentle smile.

“As I mentioned, I am impressed by what you submitted along with your application. It is of high relevance to our project and the results seem very promising. Now, this might also come off as a quite bold offer…”

Chrollo paused as though for effect. While the praise was reassuring, Kurapika sat on the edge of his seat, still worried about having gone too far in his request.

“...But I would like to offer you the chance to start your internship at the Landattle Museum by finishing your dissertation using the resources at your disposal right here.”

Kurapika froze, his mouth half-open and his eyes wide and confused. _Wait, what?_

"Do you mean… I can start straight away?" He stammered, taking the offer in. It was bold to say the least- he’d only asked for an afternoon in the archives and until half a second ago he hadn’t even been sure that he would have the internship. Now, not only did Chrollo want to give him the internship, but he was willing to let him start early. This was far more than he could have hoped for - it might even change the entire direction of his work. It was unheard of, far too convenient, too good, there had to be a catch. "I.. I'm.. not -- I don't want to sound ungrateful, I'd be delighted -- but it's so sudden… "

He took a deep breath and started again, still boggling at the offer. “I’d love to take you up on this, but I may need some time to think about it. The necessary arrangements would have to be made and there’s the question of my supervisor’s approval - he’s taken a close interest in my work and it may be difficult to put in the requisite amount of hours if I’m so far out of town…”

"Of course, I do not expect an answer right away." Chrollo laughed a little and gathered the papers again, putting them into a neat pile.

"In fact, I would prefer you to think it over. I had also hoped you might suggest to your supervisor that I could stand in for him, to make that easier for you. I would be happy to guide you."

He opened his drawer and took out a business card. Grabbing a pen, he wrote down his personal phone number on the back before holding it out to Kurapika with a warm smile.

"Here. My office number is on the front, but I tend to not be here so you better call my mobile. I wrote the number on the back. Take your time to think it over and talk to your university and then give me a call."

Kurapika’s hands shook a little as he reached out to take the business card with both hands. _Now I have his personal phone number, too_ he found himself thinking, rather self-consciously.

“Mr. Lucilfer, I have no idea how to thank you. I will get back to you as soon as possible with my answer. I’m sure you’re aware of how universities can be, so I am certain you will be hearing from them shortly as well.” He extended his hand out again as a final pleasantry, “I.. I’m really grateful for this opportunity, and I hope I will be seeing you again soon.”

"Ah yes, I will of course tell them exactly what they want to hear." Chrollo chuckled a little and took the boy's hand, squeezing it as he shook it. Without letting go, he continued. "And you may thank me by producing great results. That is all I hope for." He smiled warmly again. _For now._

"Please tell your department to call me about any questions they have, I am willing to discuss the details as much as needed. This offer extends to you as well, in fact. This has been a pleasure, I'm looking forward to hearing from you."

Making clear the meeting was over, he took the few steps to the door and held it open for the boy, warm smile kept intact until the boy was out of sight.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A phone call.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Birthday Kurapika!  
> Have another chapter to celebrate.

Kurapika left the interview in a daze. He had spent most of the train ride back staring at Chrollo's business card, turning it over in his hands until it was almost in pieces. He quickly memorised the digits of the phone number scripted in neat handwriting on its back, repeating them in his head over again as he imagined having to call someone so important on his personal line.

Yet, his nervousness was mixed with a strange sort of excitement. He found himself thinking over the events of the day again and again. None of it seemed real, but he could recall his nervousness so vividly, as well as the feel of Chrollo's hand on his, and that kind smile as the director told Kurapika to call him back. _"You may thank me by producing great results"_ he had said, _"I look forward to hearing from you."_

Just a few days later, Kurapika found himself sitting in the confines of his supervisor's dusty old office with a rapidly cooling cup of tea in his lap.

"What did you need?" his professor asked, scratching his stubble, "I take it the interview went well?"

Kurapika took a deep breath and explained Chrollo's "bold proposal". The poor professor almost dropped his tea in shock before jumping up and congratulating Kurapika, knocking over a few piles of books in the process.

"That's amazing, Kurapika! You have to accept it straight away - I have no idea why you haven't. What if he withdraws it? You've got to call him tonight to tell him you're going."

After a moment, he sat back down at his desk and looked Kurapika in the eye. "Being admitted in to such a program alone is an honour for a small establishment like ours. Entering with such special accolades will look incredible on the university's record. Do you understand what I mean?"

Kurapika nodded, swallowing thickly. This was a bigger deal than he thought. His professor continued, "If you do well – and I have no doubt that you will – we might see a rise in applications and the department might even secure more funding in light of your success."

He smiled, sastisfied with his explanation. "I will call the relevant members of staff and make the necessary arrangements. I can handle everything on the university's side. All you need to do tonight is call Chrollo Lucilfer and tell him arrangements are being made. If you run into any other problems, just drop me a line."

Blown away yet again by the enthusiastic reaction of his department, Kurapika went down to the lake on the outskirts of campus, hoping that some fresh air and a small snack would cool his head.

He knew his research was solid, but he hadn’t expected such an avid reaction – what had he done to deserve it? Wasn’t there a catch? He couldn’t dispel a niggling thought in his head that there was something off about the entire situation, but as he sat staring into the water a sudden hand on his shoulder shook him out of his reverie.

Looking up, a tall bespectacled figure holding a small rectangular briefcase over his other shoulder looked down at him, smiling.

“Leorio!” He gasped, “Don’t do that, it gave me a shock--”

“How’d it go, Kurapika?” Leorio asked, taking the seat next to him and unwrapping a sandwich, “I didn’t see you at the canteen today, so I figured you might be here.”

Kurapika was silent for a while, wondering just how much to tell his occasional lunchtime acquaintance, “It went well,” he said in a soft voice, “I got the internship...”

"That's great!" Leorio exclaimed, clapping him on the back hard enough to cause him to wince, "so you're off to my hometown next term then?"

"Actually..." Kurapika explained, relating the tale yet again, "if all goes well, I'll be heading there next week."

It was Leorio's turn to be silent. He seemed to be deep in thought, but after a moment he turned back to Kurapika with an uneasy smile, "That's... Really sudden. I'm happy for you, but..."

"If it's about whether I ..."

"It.. It's not that. This is a big opportunity and I just want you to stay safe and be happy, you know? I mean, you already know how I feel about you – and I've waited this long, so I guess I can wait a bit longer."

"I'm sorry, but with everything that’s going on..."

Leorio's shoulders slumped a little at Kurapika’s reply, "Well, I'll drop by over the holidays and show you the sights – if you're okay with that." He managed a weak smile, “At least it’ll get you out of those dusty archives, right?”

Kurapika nodded thoughtfully and stood up. “That sounds like it could be arranged, though now I’d better be off. I’m sorry I haven’t really been keeping in touch – but I hope I’ll see you soon.” Smiling at Leorio, he packed up his own half-eaten snack and patted him farewell on the shoulder. “Just give me a call when you’re in town – I don’t know how busy it’ll be, but I’ll do my best to free up some time.”

As he left, Kurapika felt almost sorry for Leorio. At the news of his impending departure, the usually boisterous and energetic medical student suddenly seemed so concerned and alone, his tall figure sticking out forlornly against the small wooden bench. Leorio was a good sort of guy and Kurapika enjoyed spending his lunchtimes with him, but they weren’t exactly close.

Leorio definitely wanted to get to know him better, and as kind as he was, Kurapika was wary. With his background, it was only natural to keep people at a distance. Perhaps it was a pity, especially since they got along so well, but Kurapika had other priorities... And while he did enjoy studying, and his work was born of his true desire for knowledge, getting further in this career was also just one calculated step towards figuring out exactly what happened to his people.

\---

By the time Kurapika returned home it was almost 8pm. He had spent most of the day in the library trying to calm down, but it was getting late. He was still on edge, but he _had_ to call Chrollo before it became inappropriate. His professor had made him promise, and it wouldn’t be appropriate for an administrative phone call to break the news.

He sat in the dark, leaning against the headboard of his bed and holding his phone out in front of him. _Calling him at this hour on his personal phone line might seem strange_ , he thought to himself as he keyed the already familiar numbers into his phone for the first time. But there was nothing for it, he’d left it and procrastinated the day away so he had to deal with it. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes and pressed ‘call’.

\----

Chrollo’s felt his phone vibrate in his pocket just as he was about to finish tightening the last strap around his most recent plaything – one he hoped could be replaced soon enough. There wasn’t anything wrong with the current one, he simply hadn’t been satisfied by him since a certain application dropped in. Now, there was a promise of something even better.

With one hand placing a gag in the boy’s gaping mouth, he pulled out the phone with the other. A smirk spread on his lips as he saw the number on the screen. He hadn’t saved it yet, but he’d read it in the application enough times to recognise it. He put the phone down for a moment and secured the gag, nails scraping along the boy’s skin as he pulled away.

“I better take this one, so stay quiet.”

He picked up the phone again, turned around and leaned against the wall next to them before finally sliding answer. The phone had already been ringing for a while, but he was glad to notice the Kurta didn’t give up so fast.

“Chrollo Lucilfer”, he answered in a questioning tone, pretending he didn’t know who might call him.

Kurapika almost dropped the phone as Chrollo answered, but sat up quickly in his bed before clearing his throat and speaking, "Ah, good evening Mr. Lucilfer – This is Kurapika Saade. I interviewed with you last week. I hope this isn't a bad time, but I thought I ought to call regarding your internship offer..."

“Good evening,” a soft chuckle made it past Chrollo’s lips at the boy’s words. He turned around so he could see his current project, lying perfectly still and silent despite his… _exposed position._

“No, not at all, right now is just fine. I’ve been waiting for your call.” One step forward, and he was trailing his free hand’s nails up the boy’s leg. Gently, to avoid sounds that may interfere with his hopes for the future.

“I take it you have discussed the offer with your department?”

“That’s correct.” Kurapika said, “I spoke with my supervisor this afternoon. He’s happy to approve the arrangements you proposed. I wanted to let you know that you should expect to receive a call tomorrow morning to lay down the administrative groundwork.”

"That's great to hear. I'll be waiting for their call." Chrollo had been sure it would go that way, he was well aware of his own reputation and influence. He _had_ built it himself, after all.

He digged his nails hard into the boy's skin for a second, before walking over to a nearby shelf. The boy didn't make a sound, just as Chrollo had demanded. It was almost sad to think he'd get rid of him so soon. Almost.

"Once the department has your verification and all the papers are signed, I can start making arrangements to travel. I had a few questions about accommodation as well..."

"I'm sure the paperwork will be done in a day or two, the express delivery around here is rather effective." Chrollo slowly opened a dark wood box and stroked his fingers over the elaborate knives inside. "I'm sure it's the same between Knives and here."

“About accommodation," he continued as he chose a knife. He felt like seeing blood tonight, the colour so reminiscent of certain beautiful eyes. "The museum has taken care of it, there is an apartment ready for you at walking distance from the museum."

"Thank you for confirming that for me," Kurapika replied, relieved.

Everything was going so smoothly; almost _too_ smoothly. It wouldn’t do to question his good fortune, but it had been a long time since he had felt so hopeful about something – only for it to be ripped away… He pushed the thought out of his mind. This was the start of something important, he could feel it.

"In that case, I’ll make arrangements to be in Landattle sometime next week, once my department confirms that all the paperwork has been received. I’m really grateful for your time, Mr Lucilfer. I’m sorry for calling so late...”

"Please don't worry about that, it isn't all that late yet. And I am glad you called." He settled for a knife with a quite long and sharp tip, a very elegant piece of metal. Having taken it out of the protective box he held it up and watched as the light hit the blade.

"If you would contact me with your arrival plans and schedule once everything is settled, I will make sure someone picks you up and takes you to your apartment."

He turned around again and walked back to where the boy was strapped in place. With the handle between his fingertips, he let the blade dangle above the boys face to show him what he had chosen. If only the eyes that widened had not been a dull brown.

"I'm looking forward to working with you, I'll make sure the paper work is dealt with as swiftly as possible and then we can get started." The knife found the boy's shoulder, only sliding along the skin, still not cutting. "Have a good evening, Kurapika."

“Of course, I will forward my travel itinerary to you as soon as it is finalised.” Kurapika nodded, attempting to wrap up the call in a businesslike way while almost forgetting he wasn’t talking to the man face to face. “Please have a good evening too, Mr. Lucilfer. I look forward to seeing you again next week – good-bye.”

The phone call ended with a click and Chrollo chuckled as he slipped the phone back into his pocket. The chuckle became a short laugh as he still couldn't _believe_ how well things were going.

"That was amazing," he said out loud, smirking down at his toy. "And you did well. Let's get started." The boy nodded slowly.

Sparing no time, he brought down the knife to the boy's chest, making a slow, shallow cut down the middle. Just enough for a little blood to seep out. A perfect red. Even the boy's small groans from the stinging pain was almost good enough.

Maybe he should pick up Kurapika at the station himself.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A warm welcome.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Birthday, Gon!  
> Even though you don't appear in this story at all. (Be grateful.)

Kurapika stepped off the train with nothing more than one small suitcase and an over-the-shoulder bag. He had few possessions besides his small collection of books (both academic and personal), his old laptop and a few changes of clothing, so he was able to travel lightly.

He had not spoken again to Chrollo other than dropping him another brief call to confirm his travel itinerary and arrival schedule. While he had a vague idea of what to expect he hadn't prepared for anything out of the ordinary.

After all, he was just an intern arriving by train on a busy morning. He figured he would have a little time to settle in before the real work started. He also hoped to discuss the direction of his current research and his role as an intern while he was still completing his dissertation.

Kurapika had been told to meet a contact from the museum in front of a small statue somewhere inside the station, and he wheeled himself to the meeting point. It looked like it was a popular place, with a rather large number of people milling about nearby. He scanned the crowd before sitting down on a bench next to a girl who looked like she was waiting nervously for a date. Many of the people waiting here seemed to be in a similar sort of predicament, but the location was convenient so he thought nothing more of it.

Shrugging his bag off his shoulder, he pulled out a small battered paperback and started to read. His train had arrived a little early and he wasn't sure who would come to bring him to his new accommodation, so he figured he should just wait.

\---

With about fifteen minutes left until his new intern would arrive Chrollo was on his way to the station. He'd never asked for anyone from the museum to pick the boy up as he'd said he would. He was looking forward to seeing him again far too much for that. Though, he hoped he wasn't being too aggressive right from the start. The boy did seen rather reserved. But to get what he wanted he had to avoid being labeled a boring boss. He was sure he was doing rather well.

Entering the station he noticed from the big screens that the boy's train had already arrived, quite a bit ahead of schedule. Assuming he was waiting where he'd been told to, Chrollo headed over towards the meeting place.

As he closed in on the statue he could the see the blond boy sitting on a bench in front of it with his nose in a book. _So he does read a lot._ Hands in his pockets he walked straight up to him with a smile on his face. "Good morning and welcome to Landattle, Kurapika."

Absorbed in his reading, Kurapika barely noticed Chrollo approach. Hearing a voice call his name, he looked up and his eyes widened in disbelief at seeing the director himself standing in front of him.

In his everyday clothes, his new boss didn’t look all that out of place among all the fashionable young people in this area. In fact, a small group of girls also waiting next to the statue had already started to whisper to each other behind their hands.

_What is he doing here?_ Kurapika thought to himself. _Didn’t he say he was going to send someone from the museum?!_

Flustered, Kurapika dropped his paperback and picked it up again, cursing to himself as he lost his page. Putting it quickly to the side, he smoothed his travel-worn clothes out and stood up to greet Chrollo.

“G...good morning, Mr. Lucilfer.” He stammered, wondering what was going on and doing his best to seem presentable, “I wasn’t expecting to see you here today…”

“I only had a pile of dusty books scheduled, so I took the liberty,” Chrollo explained. “I hope you didn’t wait long, it seems your train arrived early.”

"I didn't wait long." Kurapika insisted, still puzzled by Chrollo's sudden appearance. "Thank you for taking the time to meet me again, though. I appreciate your coming…"

_But why_ a voice in the back of his mind asked, _surely he didn't come out here just to see you?_

As Kurapika pondered this thought, Chrollo reached out for his suitcase, leaving him little time to react.

“I’ll take care of this one, let’s go get you settled in.”

"Please, wait – there's no need." He exclaimed, attempting to reach out to take it back.

“Don’t worry,” Chrollo said with a warm smile. “You’ve already pulled it all the way here, please let me.” A small chuckle left his lips at how lost the boy looked.

“Come on, let’s go find a taxi,” he said, and walked off with the suitcase, expecting Kurapika to follow him.

Kurapika frowned and nodded. He hesitated as the director walked briskly ahead with his luggage.

His new boss was certainly eccentric, but he wasn’t sure what to make of him yet. He didn't seem like a bad person, and he'd been nothing but accommodating – but something about him made Kurapika nervous. It wasn't just that he was unpredictable, but there was something about the way Chrollo looked at him that made him feel like he was being observed very closely. Maybe even a little too closely.

Catching up with him, he put the thoughts out of his mind - if he had any misgivings about the internship it was too late. He would have to make do and reserve judgement on Mr. Lucilfer until he had the chance to get to know him better. Keeping a pace or two behind him, he followed the director in silence.

Chrollo led them out through the main exit and to the taxi pole right next to it. There was a line of cars waiting so he signalled the first taxi's driver to open the trunk and pulled the suitcase there. "You probably want to keep that one with you?" He asked, gesturing to Kurapika's shoulder bag and closed the trunk without waiting for an answer. He opened the car door and held it open for Kurapika to enter.

"Thank you," he said, surprised by the gesture. Hesitating for a second, he climbed inside, looking up at his new boss without really seeing him.

Chrollo smirked as the boy entered the car. The way Chrollo was acting seemed to be throwing him off a little, exactly as he had hoped it to. It was a fine line to balance on, however, as he didn’t want to come off as too intense either.

Chrollo slid into the car next to Kurapika and told the taxi driver the address of the apartment. The driver nodded and the car started moving. He turned to Kurapika, who was tense as a stick next to him.

“It’s not far away, but this is much more comfortable considering your luggage. Did your train ride go well?”

“Yes,” Kurapika said. “There were no problems at all – I wasn’t expecting to arrive so early, that sort of efficiency is almost unheard of in Knives…”

He made an effort to loosen up, attempting a sort of crooked smile as he cracked the joke. Chrollo was still smiling gently back at him, but he was sure he had caught a few moments earlier when the smile was more of a smirk. With the man sitting so close to him now, however, he wasn’t sure if he had imagined it or not. Suddenly wary about studying Chrollo too closely, he looked away and stared out of the window.

"Not too fond of Knives, I take it? I must admit I've only been there once myself, and it was only for a short visit to the university," Chrollo said.

Kurapika shrugged, “It’s not that I dislike Knives, it’s just… a bit of a small town.” He explained, still not quite meeting Chrollo’s eyes, but happily continuing the conversation anyway. “Everyone knows everyone, there’s not much to see or do – but those aren’t always bad things. I mean, after living in a big city it was kind of nice at first.”

He laughed a little to himself, “I joke about it a lot but it’s not all that bad. The university is small and kind of incompetent sometimes, but my department has been nothing but supportive of me despite everything. I hope you didn’t find it too dingy when you visited..”

"Not at all," Chrollo chuckled. "You're right, the atmosphere felt rather relaxing. Though, I did not get a second to myself, I was busy helping a friend." He smiled watching as the boy kept avoiding his eyes.

With another glance out the window he found they were right where he wanted them to be. Turning his attention to the driver, he asked if they would mind stopping right about there for a little while. The driver nodded and moved the car to the side to stop.

“Did you have your morning coffee yet?” he asked Kurapika. “I didn’t, and there’s an amazing small coffee shop right there,” he gestured out the window as he continued. “They do take away and I have a feeling you’ll like the place.”

“I.. I haven’t, actually - I’d like that,” he said, “I probably ought to get to know this city better, especially if I’ll be staying here for a year. Thank you...”

“Well then,” he started and told the taxi driver they’d be right back as he opened the door and stepped out.

Chrollo held the car door open for him again on his way out, and he followed his new boss out onto the sidewalk, still not entirely used to the gesture. Looking at their surroundings, the place didn’t seem like much, but the sign “book cafe” piqued his interest. Small places like this only really flourished if they were good, but he wasn’t sure what to expect as Chrollo pushed the door open for him and motioned for him to enter.

The door tingling had alerted the nice old lady owning the place of their arrival and she came out from the back and greeted them.

Kurapika let out a breath when he saw the shelves lining the walls, his eyes widening in excitement at the sight. Almost laughing he took it in - books surrounded all of the the cafe area, and while the floorspace might have been small, the ceiling was tall enough to house more shelves than he thought possible in such a tiny cafe. Some of the titles there were old and well worn, others he recognised as new releases. Most of them were fiction, but there were a few non-fiction titles scattered around the lot. A lot of them were ones he personally enjoyed. He wondered how the owner managed to find the space for them, and how they were curated. Did she hand-choose the titles herself? What sort of books were they? He would have to come back to explore.

“I brought a friend today,” Chrollo told the owner. “But we’d like take away today, sorry. I only wanted to show him this place.”

Kurapika had almost forgotten where he was and who he was with until he heard Chrollo speak again. “Thank you for showing it to me, it’s wonderful,” he said quickly, before turning to the owner. “I’m sure I’ll have the chance to come back again soon.”

“I knew you’d like it”, Chrollo said with a smile. “Kurapika here will be working with me at the museum from now,” he told the lady. “So please make him at least as good coffee as you make me.” They both chuckled and she promised to do that before asking if two times the usual was okay. Chrollo nodded.

Once the lady disappeared behind the counter he turned back to Kurapika. “It’s a bit like a library,” he explained. “Books come and go with the customers. A lot of people bring in books they liked, and so it’s become a collection of well loved books. There are quite a few that used to be in my own bookshelf here as well.” He pulled out a chair and sat down. “Do look around while we wait for the coffee, if you want to.”

Kurapika nodded. He was grateful to have the chance to let his guard down a little – though he was aware that Chrollo might still be watching him. It was like being scrutinised in the interview again, only this time he wasn’t sure what the director was looking for.

After browsing for some time, he picked up one of the books on the shelf that caught his eye and looked it over. It was a collection of short stories called ‘Monochrome Rainbow’ that came out recently by an author he’d read a few years ago. Her stories were kind of dark, but it looked interesting, so he decided to take it with him. Fishing another battered paperback out of his bag, he placed it on the shelf in return. It seemed only fair, after all, to give something back when he took something away.

Walking back over to the table, he sat down in the chair opposite Chrollo. “It looks like I picked something up,” he said, holding the book up with a small but genuine smile. “I’ll have to come back here again to return it when I’m done.”

Chrollo’s eyes caught on the book in Kurapika’s hand, and yet another smile spread on his lips. It was odd how much he smiled, even without planning to do so. Well, it could only work in his favour.

“That author is favourite of mine as well. I’m quite fond of _The Black Goat’s Egg_.” It seemed Kurapika had relaxed, his whole posture was a lot less tense now as he put the book away. Bringing him here had been a good decision.

“You read her too?” Kurapika asked, glad to find something easy to talk about with Chrollo. If they were going to spend time together working on his dissertation, it was good that they had something in common. “It’s been a while since I’ve read her work, but I remember enjoying _Dear Kafka_ when it came out. _The Black Goat’s Egg_ was released only last year, wasn’t it? I haven’t had the chance to pick it up… I guess I’m a bit behind on new books because of university work.”

"I do recommend it. I promise to not swamp you with so much work you are unable to pick it up,” Chrollo chuckled.

As he spoke, the owner arrived with their coffees, packed with care in insulated paper cups on cardboard trays. She smiled at both of them before tottering off to attend to a few other customers who had walked in. “I guess we should be heading off now?” Kurapika asked, picking one of the cups up and breathing in the smell of freshly brewed coffee. It was good - Chrollo seemed to have discerning taste. Not only did this cafe have a great atmosphere, but it seemed its beverages were of high quality as well.

Chrollo slid over to the counter and put down a bill in front of the cafe lady with a smile. With a quick 'thank you' he turned back just to see Kurapika smelling the coffee with a pleased look. Good.

“This was a great detour,” Kurapika said, realising how much he meant it, “I’m really glad you brought me here.”

"And I'm glad you liked it," Chrollo answered. "I feel we'll get along well." With yet another smile he held the cafe door open, watching the boy's reaction to his words.

Kurapika felt himself tense up a little again. He was fast wondering if Chrollo meant to be his friend, rather than just his employer, and his heart quickened at the thought as he walked past him. “I... I hope we get along too,” he said, “It does sound like we have quite a few things in common...”

“Which is great,” Chrollo responded as they made their way back to the taxi. “Working with people one has nothing in common with can be such a –please excuse my words, _pain in the ass_.” He cracked an amused smirk at the boy as he opened the taxi door for them, hoping the attempt at humour hadn’t been too much.

Kurapika couldn’t hide his astonishment – he turned around again and looked at Chrollo with a shocked sort of look on his face, his mouth hanging open a little. He didn’t know what to make of it, he didn’t know what to make of _Chrollo_ , but he certainly was continuing that unpredictable behaviour that threw Kurapika off time and time again.

He cracked a small, slightly shocked smirk back at his new boss, “If you make jokes like that, Mr. Lucilfer, I’m starting to doubt how well we will get along…”

Chrollo laughed. “I’m sorry to say, working for me and my sense of humour are a package deal. You’ve already signed the documents”

As Kurapika sat in the car and waited for Chrollo to get in next to him, he realised he was starting to take the man’s idiosyncrasies in his stride better now. Though, it was still kind of a wild ride. Perhaps Chrollo was right, they would get along quite well – bad jokes and all.

Taking a sip of his coffee, he mused to himself that despite only being in Chrollo’s company for less than an hour, he was kind of enjoying it. It was going to be okay, he thought, seeing so much of him while he finished up the rest of this term.

“Indeed, I’ve already signed up to this,” He said with a small smile, Chrollo smiled so much it was starting to get a little infectious. “I’m not going to back down, whatever weird jokes you throw at me.”

“I try not to throw more than jokes,” Chrollo laughed. “Unless, of course, you feel like throwing punches sometime.” He said with a sideway smirk in the general direction of Kurapika, just as the taxi came to a stop outside the apartment building they were headed for. “Ah, here we are,” he said and dug out his wallet.

Kurapika wasn't sure how to take the joke at first, puzzlement crossing his face. Chrollo had mentioned that he was fond of martial arts himself, but that could mean anything. Was this a challenge? An invitation to train?

As Chrollo pulled out his wallet, Kurapika took his chance and cut in, holding out the cash for the fare. "I'll get this, Mr. Lucilfer – you already paid for my coffee earlier. Having come all this way on my behalf, I couldn't possibly allow you to pay for everything." Taking a small gamble, he shyly matched Chrollo’s earlier sideways smirk, “I’d be happy to throw a few punches in as interest, as well. If that is any incentive.”

Chrollo sighed dramatically and put his wallet away again, giving in to the boy’s want to pay for the ride. It was not like _Chrollo_ would have paid, anyway. Kurapika’s cheekiness, however, was making him want to grin. The boy had an attitude behind that careful professionalism, and it was _attractive_.

“Be careful, I punch back harder,” he retorted, before grabbing the receipt as the taxi driver was handing it to Kurapika and slipped it into his pocket.

Kurapika raised an eyebrow, noticing Chrollo taking the receipt. "If you can land a hit, I'll see." he said. At the back of his mind he knew he was in no position to be talking like this, and he was a little shocked at himself, but Chrollo didn't seem to mind. In fact, if anything else, he looked like he was enjoying the banter.

Chrollo opened the door and added “And _please_ stop with the ‘Mr. Lucilfer’, it makes me sound ten years older than I am” before sliding out and continuing his door-holding habits.

Kurapika stepped out of the car and slipped past Chrollo. “In that case ...what should I be calling you, if not ‘Mr. Lucilfer’?” he asked. He settled for reminding him of something needed to keep in mind. “I’ve not asked permission to call you anything else. You are, after all, my employer.”

Chrollo smirked at the boy’s retort. He thanked the taxi driver and closed the door before opening the trunk to get Kurapika’s suitcase. “I’m not much for hierarchy,” he started as he lifted the suitcase out of the trunk. “It’s pointless to consider someone more important than the rest. The work at the museum would continue even without a director.” He turned to Kurapika, the boy’s suitcase in hand, and smiled. “So please just call me Chrollo.”

Kurapika hummed a little in response. He wasn't accustomed to being informal with his superiors, even if they considered hierarchy irrelevant. Plus, it was a matter of respect – he wasn't the type to give much acknowledgment to people who didn't deserve it, but when he did, he felt it ought to mean something.

"Chrollo, then." He said carefully, almost as though he was trying out the way it sounded. "Chrollo Lucilfer."

"That would be my name," Chrollo laughed. "As odd as it is."

"It's an unusual name," Kurapika agreed, a little embarrassed at having said it out loud twice. It was memorable, and almost kind of intimidating. It suited someone of Chrollo's status and reputation, though what he'd seen and experienced of him had already shattered his expectations.

They stepped onto the sidewalk and Chrollo nodded to the building in front of them as the taxi drove away. “Well, let’s get you inside, shall we?” He led them to the door right next to a small convenience store and entered the code into the lock system so the door clicked open. “The code is 4985, you’ll need to remember that.”

Making a mental note of the entry code, he stepped in ahead of Chrollo (who held the door open for him again) and took stock of his surroundings. The doorway opened to a narrow entranceway with a small flight of stairs leading up to the flat itself. The stairs were wooden and creaked at the weight of two people climbing up them. The flat itself was functional, clean and neatly furnished, with a nice view overlooking the busy street outside. It was more or less a studio, with a small kitchen area in one corner with a stove, fridge and sink, and a desk by an ample bookshelf in another. Whoever had stayed here before had left a few lonely-looking textbooks behind, but it was more or less empty. On one wall was a door which presumably led to the bathroom. Most impressive of all was a rather cozy looking double bed pushed to the back of the room.

Chrollo watched him look around for a moment. Kurapika really was elegant with his straight posture and golden hair. Chrollo had noticed he was not much shorter than himself, though quite a lot thinner. Even so, didn't doubt the boy was strong.

After a moment Kurapika slung his shoulder bag on the back of a small chair by the desk and turned to Chrollo.

“I suppose this is it, Mr Lu– Chrollo,” Kurapika said politely, “I really appreciate you bringing me here and carrying my suitcase, and for the coffee as well.”

Chrollo smiled as Kurapika corrected himself on his name, but didn't comment on it. "Yes, this would be it. Here are your keys," he said as he handed the two keys stuck to a small spider key chain. While the key chain had always been there, the choice not to change it was deliberate.

Kurapika took the keys without a word, trying to avoid having to touch the spider keychain. It was cheap and goofy looking, probably won years ago from a gachapon. He recognised the character as the mascot of a creepy children's cartoon, but it was enough to unsettle him.

“Thank you,” Kurapika said, feeling his voice waver a little. He forced a smile to disguise his discomfort. “You’ve done a lot for me today.”

"This was nothing to thank me for at all, enjoy getting settled and I'll see you at work on Monday." Chrollo smiled, said one more good bye and left the apartment.

When the door closed, Kurapika found himself clutching the keys in his hand tightly enough to leave marks.

He was only 12 years old when it happened. He and his friend Pairo had managed to secure leave to go to the outside world, a rare privilege for their tribe. They were supposed to travel to a larger town near to Lukso where a doctor Kurapika had contacted agreed to perform Pairo's surgery. Kurapika was full of hope, and they joked about what they would do, where they would go, what they would _see_ , when they could make another journey out of the forest.

But a week later, the surgery had failed, and he traveled back to Lukso province with his friend's body in tow, only to find that in seven days, he had lost everything and everyone he cared about. The massacre was complete and bloody – there were no survivors – and pinned to a tree in the middle of it all was an intricate drawing of a twelve-legged spider, attached to a note: _We reject no one, so take nothing from us_.

In the heat of the moment he took the piece of paper and tried to hide it, away from the prying eyes of the horrified hospital team that accompanied him. Aside from rumours that the icon was a symbol in use by thieves with links to organised crime, there were little to no leads to go on: as soon as they saw the symbol clutched in his hand, even the police stalled and the report was shelved with little to no real investigation. Kurapika was left with no one to direct vengeance towards other than the image that had been seared into his mind: the twelve legged spider.

In the years that followed, Kurapika was shuffled from town to town in the care of a charity that sponsored orphaned children. The social services had done a good job at hiding his identity according to privacy laws, though over the years a few researchers, vigilantes and the occasional stray conspiracy theorist was able to piece enough of the story together to come looking for him. Everything about the Kurta massacre was shrouded in mystery. Kurapika did his best to investigate the symbol, but had little to show for his work – people seemed scared to talk. Websites theorised links with everything from the illuminati to the mafia, to even the archaeological research community just outside of Lukso.

In lieu of leads, Kurapika applied himself diligently to his studies. He learned the common language and moved far away from his hometown, succeeding in hiding his identity. Though he was too proud to _forget_ , he did his best not to let his past hinder his progress. He had to get strong enough, influential enough to track down the people who killed his family down. He also had to preserve their memory. A stupid gachapon spider shouldn’t have been enough to throw him off.

He looked at the keychain again, suddenly feeling angry at himself for reacting the way he did. He ripped the keychain from the keys and threw it into the toilet bowl before flushing it down. Breathing deeply, he removed the contacts from his eyes and crawled onto the double bed to rest. He had to think about other things for now; he had a weekend to buy food, extra sheets, amenities. He looked at the empty cardboard cup of coffee Chrollo had bought him and felt comforted, his anger ebbing away. He would be fine. Everything would be fine. He had so much to look forward to.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A guided tour.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To celebrate Kurokura Week over on tumblr we decided to post a few chapters this week. Hope you enjoy!

Chrollo had always wondered how much the survivor knew. Or if the note they had left had only disappeared into the police’s bags never to be mentioned again. Of course, that had been the reason for leaving the note in the first place. But since the news about the survivor he’d played with the idea that maybe they saw it, and now he knew. There was no mistaking the expression on the boy’s face when he saw the key chain.

At first it had worried him, nagged on his mind. As much as he _wanted_ the boy right away, he had never intended for anyone to have to live with that that hate and regret. He'd hoped the note had gone unnoticed by the survivor, hoped that he hadn’t given the boy something to cling to. He’d even made attempts to find him and end the horror he was now doomed to live in. But the social services had done a very good job at hiding him, and Chrollo had been unable to find him.

Maybe that was what had sparked this slight obsession of his. One thing he had wanted to do, but had been unable to. He had always taken exactly what he wanted, but the whole Kurta affair had been left incomplete. There was one pair of scarlet eyes walking around somewhere, most likely hating him. Frustrating, yet _exciting_.

Now he knew what the Kurta looked like, he knew how he spoke and what he liked. And he wanted to know more, he wanted to know everything. He wanted the last Kurta to be _his_. And now he was within his grasp.

Monday morning came faster than expected. Time downstairs with his toy had been relaxing and an outlet for the thoughts and desires the Kurta had awakened in him. It was as he added another scar to the toy’s back that he had decided. How he wanted him. How Kurapika would become perfect.

He had spent most of the night in the medical section of the museum's library, only returning to his quarters in the early morning. While it was something he had entertained in his mind many times and was familiar with the basic process of, the Kurta deserved a flawless execution. He would need to do a lot more research.

\---

Kurapika had not had a restful weekend. Despite his attempts to relax, he felt on edge. As night fell, he had wandered out to buy a boxed dinner from the convenience store and stayed up reading for most of the night, unable to sleep.

The next day, he managed to buy the few other things he needed, but the low mood continued and he found it difficult to rest. It seemed like a bad sign, to start his internship like this, but he had to make do and get it out of his system to start afresh. It had been a long time since he’d had such a bad case of insomnia. Perhaps the stress of moving to another place at such short notice, and the way Chrollo challenged and unsettled him contributed to the situation. The man's unpredictability made his new life feel a little less safe, but at the same time a little more exciting.

Though he hadn’t slept a wink in two nights, he was still looking forward to seeing Chrollo again. He turned up bright and early to the Museum at 9am sharp as instructed. A bored-looking receptionist had instructed him to wait outside the Director’s office until he arrived. He had done his best to disguise his fatigue with a long shower and yet another a strong cup of coffee, but the circles under his eyes were unmistakable. Curiously, Chrollo was late as well, and Kurapika found himself waiting almost 15 minutes before he showed up, his hair pushed back to reveal an intricate cross-shaped tattoo.

"...Sorry to make you wait. Good Morning." Chrollo swiped some hair behind his ear and smiled.

Kurapika stood up as Chrollo approached, staring at him before catching himself. The tattoo suited him somehow, making his eccentricity more apparent. The director looked so different without the neat headband and the loose fringe. Older perhaps, and despite clearly also lacking sleep he still looked stylish, if not a little more dignified and severe.

Kurapika smiled back at him weakly, glad not to be alone in feeling a little out of it after the weekend. “Good morning, Chrollo” he said. “I wasn’t waiting that long. How was your weekend?”

Chrollo opened the door to his office and leaned against it to hold it open. “Oh it was quite nice, didn’t get much rest though,” he said with a chuckle. “I hope you got settled in fine,” he continued as Kurapika entered his office and he followed, the door slamming closed behind them.

Shuffling over to his desk, he put down the bag he’d been carrying. “Feel free to sit down, we’ll get straight to things, I just _need_ to consume this coffee first.” Sitting down in his chair he gestured to the chair in front of his desk, already bringing the coffee to his lips.

Kurapika did as told and watched Chrollo savour his drink, “I settled in alright, thank you.” He said, “Though I suppose I didn’t get much rest either, so I understand about the coffee.” he offered in sympathy.

He had finished his own coffee long before Chrollo arrived, but he was still shaking a little from the caffeine mixed with his lack of sleep. This wasn’t the image he wanted to project on his first day at work, but he made the most of it, sitting upright and trying very hard not to stare at the tattoo on his boss’s forehead.

Chrollo lifted an eyebrow at Kurapika’s comment while swallowing another sip of coffee. “A great morning for us both then,” he said with a smirk. It changed into an amused smile as he noticed how the boy kept staring at him for some reason. Did he look that tired? He was quite sure he’d checked himself in the mirror and he’d looked quite normal.

After another sip in silence he felt a headache act up and reached up to rub his forehead. His fingers meeting skin made him realised he was not wearing his head band today. Which of course was completely normal. Except for the fact that he _had_ been wearing it every time Kurapika had seen him so far. _Ah._ He laughed softly. “I can cover it up if it bothers you.”

Kurapika shook his head, somewhat self-conscious about having been caught staring again. “Oh no, it doesn’t bother me. I was just… surprised, I guess. You look very different with your hair up.” He smiled sheepishly, “I suppose I was kind of curious about the tattoo, too... it’s somehow unexpected…”

_Just like everything else about you_ , he thought. He sighed and looked up at Chrollo again, feeling a little as though he’d messed up. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to stare. It was impudent of me – it’s not my place to comment on your appearance…”

A somewhat crooked smile pulled at Chrollo’s lips. He was indeed surprised by the personal question, but it was a positive kind of surprise. Any interest the boy showed in him was a small victory.

“There’s no meaning behind it, it's just a style choice,” he explained, before going back to his coffee. Taking slow sips, he kept his eyes locked on Kurapika’s face. Partly as a payback of sorts, partly due to the rather prominent circles under the boy’s eyes. He must have had serious problems sleeping, Chrollo thought.

Kurapika squirmed under Chrollo’s gaze, not sure if he was mad at him for speaking out of turn, or amused by his observations. His short answer didn’t give him any clues either – saying it was nothing more than a style choice seemed to only be a way of evading the implied question.

Chrollo threw his finally empty take away coffee mug into the trash can next to his desk and switched on his computer. “I do hope it wasn’t coming here that made you unable to sleep, those are some rather impressive dark circles.” He sent a knowing smirk in the boy’s direction.

Kurapika stiffened. He had wondered what to say if Chrollo commented on his lack of sleep, but he hadn’t settled on any answer he thought was particularly convincing. He wasn’t even sure why his insomnia had returned – and he didn’t want to blame it on something as silly as a spider keychain.

“I stayed up late reading the book I picked up at the cafe and lost track of time,” he said. “I should probably have come here better prepared, but I assure you I won’t let it affect my work.”

While Chrollo wasn't entirely convinced, he sent a smile the boy's way. "I didn't think it would," he stated, amused by Kurapika's hard work to stay professional while Chrollo himself was doing everything to break that down.

"Books were in fact what was keeping me up as well," he said with another smile. "But let's not let that stop us from getting you all started up." He logged in to the computer and opened his calendar and notes. "I assume you will start with finishing your dissertation. So we should discuss that in more detail. I'll also show you around here, of course. Introduce you to the staff."

Kurapika nodded, relieved that the conversation was moving back to more practical matters.

“According to schedule, my dissertation needs to be finished by the end of the spring term, he explained. “But I will need to learn the systems you use here regardless, so if there is anything I can help out with at the same time I’d be happy to do so.”

"That's good," Chrollo nodded. "I was planning to get you into our work little by little." He noted down by when Kurapika's dissertation had to be done and looked at the clock. There was still two hours left until it could be considered acceptable to go for lunch.

"Well, your main priority for the next couple of months will be your own work. I'd love to read everything you have at the moment, though I'm not planning to hang over your shoulder. I'll let you into the archives and let you do your thing. Of course, I will be here if you need any help or even just a second opinion. I got the feeling your professors would like me to hold your hand, but I'm quite convinced you're capable enough to handle some research yourself." Finishing, he looked at Kurapika for confirmation.

Kurapika nodded, "Thank you. I'm quite sure I can handle it," he said, sitting forward in his seat. “I’d be happy to send you the current draft, though it’s still very much incomplete. It would be good to get your opinion, though I hope to revise it once I've been able to take a look at the material here, so maybe it can wait."

“I don’t doubt that, though I might be able to point you to the right shelf if you let me read the draft,” Chrollo smiled almost cheekily. “I have after all gathered most of the material in that section myself.”

"Well of course, I can send you the drafts as soon as I get home this evening," Kurapika said quickly. "I'll be grateful for your expert input, and any help you are willing to provide in finding the relevant material would be very appreciated..."

Chrollo stood up with a smile, slipping his phone into his pocket. “Well then, we might as well tour the place now. There are quite a few ladies on the staff who have expressed eagerness to meet you.” He chuckled softly and walked over to the door, waiting for Kurapika to follow him.

Kurapika stood up, readying himself to see the rest of the Museum and visit the less public areas. It was exciting, but Chrollo's comment made him tense up and hesitate before following the director to the door.

It was true that Kurapika was looking forward to meeting the people who worked here, but he definitely wasn’t interested in meeting anybody – regardless of gender – in the way that Chrollo seemed to be implying. He’d already rejected Leorio, and if he hadn’t been able to return his feelings, he didn’t think he ought to be receiving that sort of attention from anyone. If he did, he wasn’t sure what he would do.

“That’s… very kind of them, but I’m not really here to socialise in that way,” he said quietly in response, wondering if this was yet another one of Chrollo’s weird jokes. Perhaps he ought to have ignored the comment instead of addressing it outright, but he laughed nervously, continuing his train of thought. “I don’t suppose you’ve said much about me to anyone…”

“Only that we’re getting an attractive, young intern,” Chrollo said as he held the door open. “Even I am disappointed now," he added with a smirk, and closed the door behind them.

Kurapika raised an eyebrow, pretending not to notice the smirk. “My apologies,” he said, “I will try my best not to disappoint you in any other ways.”

Chrollo laughed. “Well then, let’s get started,” he said and headed down along the corridor. “These two doors here hide two more researchers, but seems like neither is here today. You’ll get to meet them later. This guy here,” he started and pointed at the door next to them. “Ignacio specializes in ancient civilizations. And Balbina over there is more of a recent history kind of lady. Then that over there is our tiny but cozy conference room.” Once he reached the door he held it open a bit to show Kurapika the inside. The room held a low table surrounded by old sofas, and it was more like an old room for socialising than one meant for work, but they were all very fond of it.

Reaching the stairs he turned and took the steps down, looking up at Kurapika following behind him. “So have you ever visited this museum? The public collection?”

Kurapika nodded. "Before the interview I arrived early and took the liberty of going around the museum's public exhibits," he said. "Though I didn't get the chance to mention it to you."

“What did you think? Quite an impressive collection, right? If I may say so.” Chrollo smiled and led them into the corridor on the second floor.

“It was very impressive,” Kurapika agreed, following Chrollo. He kept pace with him this time, falling behind only when he was unsure of where to turn next. “I only had time to go through the permanent collections, but they were very well curated.” he said.

“Here we have the boring paperwork archive as well as the office for some of the restoration and conservation team," Chrollo said as he stopped at another door. This one had a poster-like sign saying ‘Conserving but not conservative”.

"There’s probably someone in here, let’s see,” he said, and opened it to reveal a large well-lit room with desks.

“The practical work doesn’t happen in here, that’s next to the archives, but we can’t expect anyone to breathe only dust from morning to night, can we? Right, Durdona?” He greeted the closest person inside, sitting at a desk making notes. “I’m showing our new intern Kurapika around.”

The woman turned around, her eyes bright with excitement. Perhaps visitors were a welcome distraction from her work, since she got up and shook Kurapika's hand with such enthusiasm.

“If it isn’t the _gorgeous_ new intern Chrollo mentioned! I must say, he certainly has an eye for them.” She laughed a little, making Kurapika smile nervously in return. He sneaked a look at Chrollo, as if verifying his reaction to her assessment.

“Now now, we should be happy Kurapika here is also very smart and talented, so I didn’t have to pick him just on his looks.” Chrollo chuckled, sending a wink in Kurapika’s direction.

“I’m sure he’s smart – but being easy on the eyes is always a bonus,” Durdona said with a grin. “If you have any questions, just feel free to ask and I’m sure any of us will be happy to help if we can!”

Kurapika nodded and assured her that he would of course ask any questions that came to mind. She seemed friendly, and despite her jokes she definitely seemed eager to continue chatting with both of them.

Durdona picked up up a few sheets of paper and handed them to Chrollo, suddenly all business again. “Actually, There was an unscheduled delivery so Yadira went downstairs to take a look. The others went for a little break but Petronella called in sick so she can’t make it today. Aside from that, it’s business as usual. You should have a look at these, though.”

Chrollo took the papers and started looking them over, his attention still mostly on her and Kurapika.

She smiled at Kurapika again and leaned in. “You know, you should enjoy your time with the boss, he’s usually too busy for us little people.”

Kurapika looked at her in surprise. He had thought it was odd for Chrollo to put this much effort into showing him around personally, but the fact that the other employees were commenting on it made it seem even more unusual.

“These look fine,” Chrollo said after a second, interrupting what Durdona was telling Kurapika. Holding up one page, he continued. “I won’t be here at the time this arrives tomorrow, just make sure they haven’t subjected it to any light. I think Kurapika here will be interested in the contents, so we’ll have it be his first job.”

Durdona agreed, pointing out how it would be great to get into the routine right away. At that, Chrollo sent another smile in Kurapika’s direction and leaned down to finish signing the rest of the papers.

“Well then, here you are,” he said finally, handing the documents back to Durdona. “We’ll continue enjoying our tour now, I think. I’ll see you later.” With another smile he walked back to the door and held it open for Kurapika.

Kurapika followed Chrollo, saying his goodbyes to Durdona and promising to come back the following day.

"Where to next?" he asked, trying to hide his unease with casual conversation.

“To the workshop, as we like to call it.”

They walked further down the stairs and along another corridor. “That’s where the actual work restoring and conserving the items in the museum happens, which is of course our most important job. At this museum we’re also focused on research and producing academic results, so we’re often thought of as an independent academic entity, but you should never forget that a museum’s most important role is to protect and conserve the material we have in our hands for future generations.”

He opened a door to a large hall-like dimly lit room filled with with different sized tables, shelves and cabinets full of tools, brushes and bottles of all kinds. On one side were doors leading to completely dark rooms, and near the middle was one of his colleagues working on something new Chrollo hadn’t seen before.

“Yadira, good morning! Durdona told us you’d be here,” Chrollo said. She greeted him, looking almost surprised to see him there. Was he really that a rare sight down here? He might have to keep his normal behaviour in mind more when socializing with the Kurta.

“Oh don’t worry, I’m not here to stay,” he joked. “I’m just showing our dear intern here where the most important work happens. Kurapika will be working on his dissertation for a little while still, but once he’s done he’ll be yours to teach the noble art of conserving.” He chuckled a little, turning to Kurapika. “Right?”

Kurapika nodded and greeted the lady, who shook his hand hesitantly. "I’ll look forward to working with you," she said with a polite smile, as though unsure of what to make of their presence.

After the ice was broken, the lady warmed up somewhat with Chrollo's easy and charismatic attitude and soon they were chatting about her current project. She was nice to talk to, somewhat quiet but enthusiastic about her work.

Kurapika noticed that all the museum employees seemed to have a sort of respect and shared camaraderie with Chrollo, who knew all of them by name. But it also seemed as though they weren't all that used to him being around. He filed the thought away as they moved on, Yadira inviting him to come down any time if he wanted to take a break from books and spend a little time in a dark quiet room with her and the rest of the team.

“Hey now, don’t try to steal him when there’s finally someone into the same obscure subjects as me!” Chrollo joked, pulling a laugh from her.

“Oh no, please no more tiny forgotten tribes, please,” she said and they both laughed. Chrollo sent a quick glance in Kurapika’s direction, almost a bit worried about how that joke was taken. As much as interested in the reaction. Tiny extinct tribes were no laughing matter, not even for Chrollo.

With a smile he told her to keep working hard as he and Kurapika left the room, continuing over to the other side of the corridor. It was only a few steps to the next door, with a sign saying “closed collection”. The door revealed another dimlit room, with walls covered in bookshelves and glass cases and large drawers and cabinets containing artefacts placed throughout the room. At the other end there was a door leading to further similar rooms.

“This is probably where you’ll spend a lot of time the next couple of months, so get familiar with it.” He turned up the light a little, so they would see better. “Never let the lights be on full power for more than a couple of hours, though.”

He took a few steps to the side and gestured at a sink and some disinfection liquid. “I don’t know which method your uni teaches, but we believe in clean hands over gloves. Just make sure the alcohol has dried off completely before touching anything.” While saying that he cleaned his own hands, first with water and then disinfection. “You’re also gonna want to invest in a good hand cream, I’m not kidding,” he chuckled. “This stuff turns your hands into dry raisins.”

After watching Kurapika clean his hands and waving his own around in the air a bit he smiled.

“Well then, ready for some proper looking around?”


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The closed collection.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Second kurokura week update!

As Kurapika entered and watched the lights come up, he let out a breath. The archive room was packed to the brim with books, artifacts, and drawers bursting with historical treasure. He was impressed; this was exactly what he needed and more. His university had barely enough material for a proper archive, and the small local museum in Knives was nothing compared to this.

He finished washing his hands and waited for them to dry, turning to Chrollo and returning the smile. “Of course,” he said, “I’ve never been more ready.”

Chrollo’s smile widened a little. It was quite amazing how much their interests aligned and the excitement in the Kurta’s eyes felt very familiar. He was somehow sure, however, that the boy would not approve of the ways he had acquired a lot of the material here. Well, there was no need for him to know.

“The material related to the Miha tribe is over here,” he said and led them in between some of the shelves. He pointed out a shelf and a drawer. There wasn’t a lot, but it was even so quite possibly the largest collection of resources related to them.

“There are some records of the people, studies on their language and literature and poetry by them. There’s also a quite few classic travel descriptions that we must be very grateful for, considering the tribe’s extensive isolation. Further down there’s some material on the war, but I’m sure you have been able to find similar elsewhere.” He looked around, thinking if there was something he was forgetting to mention.

“Well, the artefacts are in the drawer of course, mostly cultural and ceremonial items, we suppose.” He opened a drawer, revealing an intricately decorated mask and sighed. “It’s quite sad to think that here we are, among almost everything that remains of these people. People who made beautiful things like these...“ _And next to a similar rarity, alive and walking,_ he thought to himself. He _wanted_ him, like he had wanted all these artifacts.

Kurapika peered at the drawer and shelf, looking carefully over the objects inside. Though the collection seemed small, it was extensive compared to any other resource he had found. Looking at the objects right at his fingertips, he felt justified in asking for access. In some ways, he was surprised – he remembered how difficult it could be to get authorisation to even observe objects relating to the Miha clan, so Chrollo must have taken many risks to get them to the museum. He was moved – that sort of effort to save and preserve a culture in a society that wanted to forget about them was admirable in his eyes, and very relevant.

He studied each object from where he stood, still a little wary of picking up or touching them. “It’s truly impressive, that you’ve put so much into collecting everything here,” he said, his voice betraying the emotion he felt. “I’m sure their memory lives on in these items.”

"I would like to hope so." Chrollo kept his voice soft as his whole attention was locked on the boy, drinking in his every reaction as he looked through the artefacts. Anyone else would have thought the boy was only very emotionally invested in his research, –but Chrollo knew exactly how close to home his words hit.

"Protect and care for what little remains of these cultures and make sure at least someone remembers them is all I can do, regretful as that may be."

He walked a bit closer and leaned against the drawer next to Kurapika. "I do wish I had more time to write about the subject. I'm glad you are doing it." He smiled softly.

"Well, I’d like to continue writing about it, as much as possible." Kurapika said, looking away as Chrollo approached. He didn't want to make his emotions too obvious to the man standing so close to him. "I understand that you're focused on running the museum, and that in itself is important... _All_ of this is very important to me." He gestured at the hallways around them and paused before adding, "and for history itself, of course..."

The sentiment of wanting to be remembered was something he understood, and his reluctance to reveal that side of himself was something that he felt guilty about at times. He was torn between protecting himself by concealing his identity and _doing_ something about the way the Kurta were remembered. If revenge was off the cards then what else could he do? The fact that someone like Chrollo cared as much as he did about the relics of long gone clans collected in this museum was sort of small comfort. Perhaps he would still have hope.

He returned Chrollo's soft smile with a nervous one of his own. "I know I'm just a student, but if I can make a difference at all it will be worth it."

Chrollo smiled again. “If you work hard I’m sure that won’t be a problem. And any work is greatly appreciated.” He straightened up and turned to Kurapika, noticing the boy was fiddling with his earring. Perhaps unconsciously? It was interesting how the Kurta hadn’t considered Chrollo might recognise the style, considering his area of expertise. _Well, he’s going to love looking around this archive more._

“It’s almost lunch time, would you mind having company? There’s a great noodle bar outside. And I’ll have to leave later, so you’ll get to look around here in peace. There’s quite a lot of material on other tribes as well that I’m sure you’ll appreciate.”

"Noodles sound good." Kurapika said, his appetite returning at the mention of food. He hadn't eaten since the night he bought dinner from the convenience store, but he was feeling much better already.

He laughed a little at his luck in being able to spend the rest of the day with the collection. It would be relaxing, he thought, but there was so much he wanted to see. "It'll be good to have energy if I'm spending the rest of the afternoon here." He smiled, "And if you were to point me in the direction of anything you think might be of particular interest, that would definitely be appreciated."

“Just continue along this shelf, all the relevant cultures are located next to each other.” Chrollo pointed along the shelf and line of drawers they were standing at. “It’s quite a lot, but that’s what you’re here for, right?” He chuckled a little, quite pleased with how at ease the Kurta seemed. _He’s very beautiful when he smiles_ , he thought, wondering for a moment how other emotions would look on his face.

“Well then, noodles it is. Let’s stop by the info office on the way out to get you your keys.” He nodded in the direction of the door and headed out. A lunch welcoming the new intern was all it was, _for now_. But he couldn't wait to get the chance to take the first steps further.

Kurapika glanced down the line of shelves and drawers Chrollo had indicated, committing the archive numbers to memory. There certainly seemed to be a lot of material to look through, including a couple of glass display cases that could be interesting. He resisted the urge to look immediately, remembering how little he'd eaten in the last few days. "I'm sure there will be more than enough to keep me busy here," he said, dusting himself off and following Chrollo out to the corridor.

"Are you sure there isn't anything else you need me to do when I get back?" He asked, feeling like everything was going far too well. "Not that I don't want to come back down here as soon as I can." His stomach growled a little and he blushed, surprised and embarrassed by the sudden sound, "I... Well, after lunch of course…"

An honest laugh left Chrollo's lips. _Cute_ , he thought, mentally making notes of all the boy’s small reactions and quirks. He wanted to know him, inside and out.

“Let’s hurry up, wouldn’t want to keep your stomach waiting,” he said with a laugh as they walked along the corridor towards the main part of the museum. “And I’m sure, sadly I have a meeting this afternoon so I can’t accompany you any more. But your top priority should be getting familiar with your new material, I think.”

"Oh, it's not a problem. I'm quite happy to spend this afternoon with the collection. I wouldn't want you to change anything more in your schedule on my account." Kurapika said, his hands clasped above his stomach as though it would stop it from making another sound. "It will be useful to become familiar with the system here before I start my first task tomorrow, anyway. "

As they reached the main hall he walked up to the info booth and opened the door next to it, sticking his head inside. “Lunete, we’d need the keys for Kurapika, the new intern.” The reply was almost startled, but affirmative, and he turned to smile to Kurapka as the lady hurried up to them with two keys and a paper to sign. “There’s one that goes to most of the museum, and one for the closed collection,” he explained.

Kurapika nodded, trying to ignore the sudden tension he felt as the lady handed him the keys. Luckily, the keychain attached to them was nothing more than a small tag with a number on it. The keys themselves were labelled with letters – "M" and "CC", which were more or less self explanatory.

After signing for them, he put the keys away and turned back to Chrollo. "I suppose we are all ready for lunch now," he said with a polite smile. "Please do lead the way – I wouldn't want my stomach to embarrass me again, after all."

“Of course.” A soft chuckle, and he told the office lady good bye as he led them off and out through the main exit. There were of course other doors available, but with the little detour the main one was the most convenient despite the quite large amount of customers using it. Chrollo barely ever used it though under normal circumstances, though. Again, he made a mental note to consider what kind of behaviour would seem far too out of place to the rest of the staff.

“Oh look, the sun is out,” he said as they exited. “Quite a rare sight around here, I must say. Though I’m quite an indoor person, myself.” Down the tall stairs and to the right. “What about you? Do you practice your martial arts outside?” he asked, turning his face to look at the Kurta as they walked the final few metres to the noodle shop.

“It depends on the weather, I guess,” Kurapika answered, fiddling with his earring again. "I used the gym at the university, and sometimes the park if the day is as nice as this, but I haven't really thought about where to go while I'm here."

He paused, as though he was still unsure of whether it was his place to question Chrollo on his own hobbies. "Since you said you were interested them yourself, does that mean you practice too?" he asked, as they came to a stop outside the noodle bar. "If that's the case, would you have a recommendation for where to go?"

“I must admit I tend to do it at home by myself,” Chrollo said as he opened the door and a small tingling sound was heard. “Though I sometimes use gyms too. There’s a quite good one close to your apartment.” He walked over to counter and greeted the keeper with a smile. “I’ll have the usual, but my company might need a minute or two.”

“We should spar together sometime. It can get quite lonely hitting empty air,” Chrollo suggested. He picked up two glasses from the counter and filled them with water as he waited for Kurapika to decide.

Kurapika browsed the menu choices as Chrollo made his order. The bar was smart but unpretentious, and there was a lot of choice, so he took his time. After all, he _was_ supposed to be taking care of himself, even if it seemed as though he wasn't doing a particularly good job so far. Considering his weekend, he hadn't really had the chance to think about his health or walk around the area much, so he made a mental note to check out the gym near his apartment on Chrollo's recommendation.

Surprised by Chrollo's invitation, he considered it as he made his order. It sometimes could get lonely training by himself, but solitary practice was something he felt he was resigned to. The traditional martial art he practiced was by its nature something he half had to keep secret – most knuckleheads in gyms didn't know enough to tell his fighting style apart from related disciplines, but there was always a risk that he would be found out – especially since Chrollo was an expert. Still, he was curious about how his skills would match up with the director's, even if he held himself back, so despite his hesitation he agreed. It wasn't often he found someone whose interests aligned so well with his.

"That sounds like a nice idea," he said tentatively, "I'd be happy to oblige if you need a training partner."

Chrollo put the glasses down on a table by the wall and smiled at Kurapika. “You make it sound like there wouldn’t be anything in it for you. Underestimating me already?” He laughed and stepped back to the counter.

"Oh, no – I didn't mean it like that!" Kurapika protested, "I... I'm quite used to training alone so I didn't expect..." He laughed a little and sighed, "I'm not sure how my abilities would match up to yours - I couldn't possibly make any judgment on your technique since I haven't had the chance to observe..." He trailed off a little, suddenly aware of how it sounded like he _wanted_ to see his boss's capabilities. Not that he wasn’t curious. Chrollo was in good physical shape, and he moved with a practiced sort of grace. It wouldn't be surprising if he was at a very high level.

Chrollo laughed and handed his card to the keeper. “I’ll pay for both meals. No buts,” he added with a smile in Kurapika’s direction. “Today is a special occasion after all.”

Having paid he picked up two pairs of chopsticks and some napkins and sat down at one side of the table he’d chosen for them. “Training a lot tends to require more calories than a ‘vegetarian diet noodles’ meal can offer.” He chuckled.

"To be honest, I haven't had the chance to train recently," Kurapika said, sliding into the seat opposite Chrollo. "And things have been... Well, it was so busy that I didn't have much time to eat over the weekend, so I thought it'd be better if I didn't order anything too heavy. Not that the double pork broth with extra noodles doesn't sound delicious too," he quipped, looking over at Chrollo's receipt.

"You bet it is," Chrollo laughed. "But you'll have lots of time to try it." He was silent for a second before adding "As you will to judge _my technique_." His mouth curled into a smirk. Teasing the boy had shown quite entertaining and far too easy. He just had to keep up the right balance between professionalism and the flirtatious teasing.

Kurapika choked at the comment. He hadn't missed the innuendo in Chrollo’s voice at all. By the way he smirked, he could tell that the man was almost definitely teasing him. It was inappropriate and ridiculously scandalous but he found he no longer seemed to mind it all that much – it was just too difficult to believe any of this was serious. Still, not knowing what else to do, and not quite wanting to put an end to his boss's strange idea of friendliness, he turned the cough into a strangled laugh and tried his best to ignore it.

“I do hope your day hasn’t been too stressful so far,” Chrollo said, changing the subject back as the waiter brought their noodles. He wasn’t convinced by the explanation Kurapika had given earlier.

"No, it's not been stressful at all today," he said, trying not to think too much about the weekend's events or about the 'jokes' Chrollo was making. "It's been good. I'm definitely looking forward to exploring more of the closed collection later today..."

“I’m glad to hear that,” Chrollo replied before starting on the noodles. “We’re all hoping this will be a great experience for you as well, and not only beneficial for the museum.” He slurped a few more noodles before continuing.

“Though I am sure things are a bit confusing in the beginning, big changes like these tend to do that. Oh, but you mentioned growing up in diverse environments, does that mean you are used to moving around? Then maybe only the dusty museum is what you need to get familiar with,” he laughed. “But trust me, the dust bunnies make good friends.”

Kurapika remained quiet for a moment, already a little on edge from telling half-truths about his weekend. The mention of his past unsettled him even further, but he tried not to let it show too much. As he gathered himself up, he loaded up his spoon with a good amount of soup and arranged the noodles and vegetables on top before trying it, continuing the conversation only after he had chewed and swallowed.

"I'm more or less used to moving, but being used to it doesn't mean it's easy," he said quietly. "Though knowing the sorts of things to expect does make it less difficult… In any case, I'm sure I'll get used to the museum soon, and I'll try my best to enjoy the dust bunnies – the ones back in the university library were decidedly less cultured." he laughed a little, before changing the subject. It was better they not talk too much about his past, for both his own comfort and safety. "By the way, these noodles are delicious. You've already introduced me to two establishments here… so do you have any other recommendations for other places to try?"

"Is that an invitation to enjoy your company over lunch again?" Chrollo raised an eyebrow and smiled. "Well, I've lived here for almost a decade, I guess I do know a few more places. You'll need to tell me what you like."

Kurapika coughed a little in surprise, passing it off as choking a bit on his soup. He had walked right into that one. Even if he'd only asked for recommendations in order to change the subject, the man had somehow turned it into yet another opportunity to flirt. He could see why Chrollo had got to where he was, if this was how he operated – even if it was all some kind of elaborate joke. How was this even allowed?

"I'm... I'm more interested in trying something new or interesting," Kurapika said with an amused smile, deliberately not addressing whether it was an invitation or not. The opportunistic bastard could think what he liked. "I don't have any particular preferences – being picky would defeat the purpose. I'm sure there must be some very unique places here, since this is a big city."

"That's a positive attitude, I'd say. Food is an important part of most cultures after all," Chrollo said that as he gestured with his chopsticks. Concentrating on the Kurta was much more interesting than his noodles, but he kept eating between speaking. Always looking at him through his lashes.

"Food isn't that relevant for us at the museum, but when attempting to understand and preserve cultures it should never be forgotten. The same goes for languages in fact, especially spoken ones." He paused for a second. "There's a quite good Padokian restaurant a few blocks away. I'd love to show it to you."

Kurapika tilted his head to the side in thought, reflecting on what Chrollo said about food and language. "I suppose you are right that it isn't relevant directly, but such information can always been retained through things that are left behind – which is very much our responsibility. Descriptions of food in books, images, even tools and utensils can help us recreate the tastes and look of what people ate." He paused and thought a little, before continuing. "Spoken languages are harder, but there are oral traditions and songs, as long as someone is around to speak the language and learn them."

Chrollo swallowed his mouthful of noodles and chuckled. “You’re right of course, languages remain as long as there are people who speak them. Sadly we can’t exactly display people in the museum,” he laughed. “Our job tends to require learning a lot of languages, however.”

“That’s true,” Kurapika murmured, wondering if people might be willing to learn his own language in the future. He smiled at Chrollo and changed the subject, bringing it back to the man’s invitation. “In any case, I've not tried that cuisine before," he said, attempting to sound enthusiastic. "I'd love to try it sometime, I suppose, If I'm not too busy."

“Don’t worry, I’ll make sure to not give you so much work you can’t make it to lunch,” Chrollo said with a smirk.

He took another mouthful of noodles, getting quite close to finishing his bowl. It was a dish that never disappointed. Not that anything could disappoint him right now, with the only living Kurta right in front of his eyes.

“You know I have a deadline to make…" Kurapika protested, trying not to be amazed by Chrollo's unscrupulous teasing. The reminder that his time was Chrollo's to do with as he pleased struck Kurapika as a kind of gross misuse of his influence. It was so inappropriate that he almost laughed, even if it was true. The man was both his boss _and_ his academic supervisor – he would _know_ if Kurapika was too busy to relax. "If my work runs late or if there are any problems, I'll have to take extra time to sort them out. I'm sure you'd understand as my supervisor."

Chrollo nodded, his mouth too full with noodles to speak.

Kurapika raised an eyebrow and went back to finishing off his own much smaller bowl of noodles, observing Chrollo's overzealous slurping. He really was a strange man – at times like this he seemed frivolous and unguarded, yet it also felt as though everything he did was calculated. Kurapika still had no idea what to make of him, but he was confident that the man's interest in him was a huge ruse – what could a boy like him with his issues and such limited experience offer?

He lifted his bowl to his lips and finished the broth, neatly placing both his chopsticks across the top of his bowl. "Thank you for the meal," he said, "It was very good."

"Nothing to thank me for, at all," Chrollo said, finally finishing his own bowl.

He leaned back in his chair and looked at the Kurta. "Your deadline is important, and you will work on that exactly as much as you need, that was part of our agreement and it's also what I'd want you to do. I am very much looking forward to the finished product." He stopped for a second, taking a sip from his glass of water.

"Though, as your supervisor I can only say that no one produces good results without taking care of themselves. As myself I can only ask you take care of yourself. No reason is good enough to not eat when one can."

Kurapika remained silent for a moment, a little surprised by the practicality of Chrollo's answer. He had expected another joke, but what he said had been a proper responsible piece of advice. It was true he tended to neglect himself when caught up in his studies and work, but few people – besides perhaps Leorio and one or two of his teachers – had ever expressed concern for him at these sorts of moments before.

"In that case... Alright." He said, checking his watch. "Thank you for the invitation – I'll look forward to lunching with you." He stood up, not quite meeting Chrollo's eye. "What time is your meeting? Maybe we should be getting back... It's been more than an hour already."

Chrollo smiled as the boy agreed to his invitation, having clearly chosen the right approach to the situation. And he’d meant it all, he wasn’t all too fond of people not appreciating what they had. In fact, he thought the Kurta if anyone would share that sentiment.

He took a look at his watch and nodded. “Yeah, I still need to do some preparations, so we better go.” Pushing his chair back, he stood up as well. “Let’s take the staff entrance back in, so you’ll know where it is.” He walked to the door and held it open as he said thanks to the keeper of the restaurant.

Kurapika followed Chrollo out of the restaurant and walked alongside him in silence. Though he was definitely eager to get back to the archives, he also found himself thinking about their quick lunch break. It was strange but he was almost looking forward to going out with Chrollo again, even if he had tried to refuse it and make excuses at first. It seemed like a bad idea, but he didn't exactly dislike being around the director, and talking to him was quite enjoyable. He was unpredictable to Kurapika in ways that most people weren't, and the fact that they had so much in common… it seemed a little too uncanny.

As they came to the staff entrance, he slowed down the pace a little, almost as though he was reluctant to leave. As he stood in front of the door, he held out a hand for Chrollo to shake. "Thank you again for lunch today," he said, "I hope your meeting goes well, and I will see you again tomorrow?"

Chrollo took his hand with a smile. “The pleasure was all mine,” he said, letting go and opening the door. “I still need to go by my office before the meeting, so it’s a few more metres until goodbye,” he chuckled.

Letting Kurapika enter before him, he followed and walked the short distance to the stairs in silence. “Well, I go up here. Remember it’s the other key for the closed collection. Oh and, you can go straight there if you want to tomorrow too, I’ll notify you when the delivery has arrived.” He smiled and added “You can ask anyone of the staff if there’s something and – well, I’ll see you tomorrow.” With a small wave he turned and took the stairs up to his office to get ready for the meeting, so very pleased with the day’s results.

It was a little embarrassing to have said premature goodbyes, but Chrollo let him off without much more in the way of teasing. Kurapika found himself watching the director's back as he left up the stairs and disappeared from view, still a little dazed. He was only halfway through his first day, but he stood there for a moment contemplating the morning’s events before catching himself and heading down the corridor to the rooms that housed the collection.

Upon coming into the archives he turned the lights on and went to wash his hands as instructed. He pulled out a notebook and a pen and headed straight to the shelf Chrollo had indicated before. It was tempting to poke a little into the other parts of the collection, but he wanted to remain focused – he would have time for a bit more exploration at the end of the day. For now, he wanted to know what the section housed, how extensive it was, and how many of the artefacts might be useful for his research.

Reaching his intended spot, he opened one of the drawers and lifted one of the small decorative pots out of its place with care to inspect the inscriptions on it. Turning it over in his hands he made notes as he went along, getting swept up in the work.

He continued like this for much of the afternoon, stopping to take a break every half an hour or so to rest his eyes. Perhaps he was a bit overzealous, but he had moved on to the second or third shelf already and filled several pages in his notebook with drawings, notes and lists, trying to cover what he thought was relevant. Towards the late afternoon, he took a final break and stood up to stretch his legs a little.

Yawning, he looked around in the dim light again, before deciding to wrap up the day by wandering down the shelves in the same row. The collection was organised by date and origin, with older artefacts from the same areas grouped together.

This row housed many of the older cultures Kurapika was looking at for his dissertation, but towards the end were two half-empty glass cases and a couple of drawers which seemed to have been added more recently. While the furniture had been made in the same style as all the others, it was clear these were newer. Walking up towards them he stopped, his heart dropping as he realised what they contained.

There, in one of the glass cabinets was a Kurta instrument – a small hand-held harp very similar to a lyre. From the look of it, it was only a little damaged, but it would probably have been playable with some minor tuning. He gulped, feeling his eyes burn and his pulse quicken as he realised that the area he had stumbled upon must be full of the same sorts of relics that he had been handling, only the likelihood was, these all belonged to people he had known.

He could feel the bile rise in his throat as he pulled open drawer after drawer, his eyes shifting behind his contact lenses to a bright, uncomfortable red. There were recipe books, flutes, clothes, some jewellery, a pair of twin swords much like the ones he practiced with weekly, and even a small collection of photographs which showed his clansmen in happier times. Birthday parties, weddings, celebrations… they were all recorded with smiling faces of people he knew were long gone.

Choking up, he sifted through them. Here was the elder who had berated him for taking an interest in the outside world, as well as the couple just down the road who had given birth to a baby girl just months before the massacre, and here… here was a photo of him, smiling with his arms around Pairo's shoulders.

A bolt of fear shot through him – _what if someone in the museum saw this photograph?_ He couldn't risk it. He saw their faces flash before his eyes, and the scorn, fear, or worse – the pity in their faces. He had to protect himself.

Frantically, he sifted through the rest of the photos – there were no others that clearly showed his face, but one other showed his back and he grabbed it as well. Stuffing them into the middle of his notebook, he packed the things things away and left the archive, almost forgetting to turn the lights off behind him.

Making his way through the snaking corridors, he held his breath until he reached the staff doors. He threw them open and ran the whole length of the way to his flat, not stopping until he had got back home and locked the door behind him.

It looked like tonight would also be a long, restless night.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Issues.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And one more update dedicated to Kurokura Week!

As soon as Kurapika returned home he removed the photos from his notebook and stashed them in one of the drawers in his desk, under several books and documents. He also removed the red kurta earring he wore, placing it with the photographs and cursing himself for not thinking of the consequences of it being recognised. He felt foolish and weak, awash with the memories the photos had stirred up. Slumping into the chair he cried himself to sleep, waking up after only a few hours to familiar nightmares. This time, the faces of the people he had seen in the photos stayed burned in his mind's eye for hours.

He removed his contacts, made another cup of coffee and stayed awake for the rest of the night, keeping the dreams at bay. His eyes were still stinging when day broke, dry and painful from sleeping with the lenses in and puffy from his tears. He calmed himself down by alternating the coffee with calming tea and looking at the notes he'd made the day before.

He had made good progress – but instead of using the sleepless hours to work, all he could think about was that he had done something unforgivable. He had stolen archive material with no intention of giving it back. It was for his own safety, he reasoned, but it was also incredibly wrong. How would he be able to face Chrollo in the morning, with even less sleep and more reason to feel guilty? Luckily, he would be alone in the archives - and he had done a lot of work before pulling his little heist, so as long as he avoided the pull of the drawers in the far end of the row he would be okay.

As soon as it hit an acceptable time to head out, he packed his things and headed to the archive room again, where he sat at a small table on the direct other end from the Kurta section. He found himself falling in and out of fitful sleep as he continued his work. The nightmares were milder, somehow. As twisted as it sounded, perhaps he was comforted by the presence of his people's relics, and he fell into a deeper sleep, his head on his notebook and his pen still in his hand. He remembered that Chrollo would contact him when the shipment of artefacts arrived, but while it was still early, a short nap in the dusty room might not be too bad…

\---

Chrollo pulled on the door to the closed collection, noticing that it was locked. Kurapika must have let it slam closed behind him this morning, he thought as he unlocked it and stepped inside. The package had arrived a moment earlier, and as he'd promised he was here to pick up the boy for the unboxing and cataloguing.

The lights were on the proper dimmed mode, but he couldn't see Kurapika by the shelf he had expected him to be at. He wondered if the boy had ventured far enough to find his own people yet. He was rather interested in what sort of a reaction that would cause.

Walking in between the shelves he spotted him, head resting on the table at the far end, fast asleep. With a small smile he walked up quietly, taking in the sleeping form of the Kurta. He was resting on top of a notebook that Chrollo could see was filled with notes, with a pen still in his hand. His eyebrows were a bit furrowed, showing that the sleep wasn't all that relaxing. Lying with the right side of his face down, Chrollo noticed that that the red earring that had decorated his left ear was now gone. _Ah._

Placing a hand on the boy's shoulder he called his name, voice soft not to startle him.

The Kurta bolted awake, almost tipping off his chair in shock. Chrollo had been gentle in waking him but the shame and guilt of being caught asleep on the job was overwhelming – not to mention the fact that he had just committed theft the very evening before. Chrollo didn't know about it, but it weighed on Kurapika's mind and he found himself avoiding the director's searching gaze.

He rubbed his eyes and looked up through his lashes at his boss, whose face showed no sign of judgment or anger. If anything he saw mild concern crossed with something else... Pride? Curiosity? He shook his head and stood up, bowing his head in an attempt to make a proper apology.

"I... I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me – I can assure you I have done quite a bit of work, I just.." He stopped, unable to find a proper excuse, "I promise, it won't happen again..."

"It's fine. Don't worry, I can see you've been working." Chrollo smiled at the boy and nodded to the pages full of notes on the table below them. The boy seemed to have come very close to panicking. Well, it was natural, he figured.

He turned and sat down on the table, next to Kurapika's notes and looked at the boy. "Still not sleeping well? I came to get you for the unboxing, but we could have coffee first."

Kurapika shook his head, his heart sinking into his stomach again. "Yes, I've... just found it difficult to sleep lately," he mumbled, the truth of his words hanging heavily in his tone. "But there's no need to wait – if the shipment has come in, we should go straight there..."

His lack of sleep was already obvious, but it was starting to run him ragged as well. His dark circles were even more pronounced, and his eyes were sore and puffy from forcing the coloured contacts into them again. He felt nauseous at the thought of accepting this sort of kindness from the director; he didn't deserve it – not after slacking off _and_ taking museum pieces for his own selfish reasons. He moved to pack up his things, but was hit by a wave of dizziness and reeled. Losing his balance, he stretched a hand out towards the table Chrollo was sitting at to steady himself.

"Woah – I... I'm so sorry..."

"Be careful," Chrollo said and reached out, grabbing Kurapika's arm to steady him. The boy was barely staying upright, and Chrollo had a quite good idea of what had been keeping him up at night. The presence of the Kurta artefacts must have had a much stronger effect on the boy than Chrollo had ever imagined. It sent a wave of guilt through him. If only he had found the boy earlier, he would've never had to live with this pain. This was never what he'd intended. _I’ll fix it as soon as possible._

"Just sit down. The shipment can wait, you need to rest." He pushed on Kurapika's arm in an attempt to convey the message and make him sit down. "Have you eaten anything since our lunch yesterday?"

Kurapika lashed out, “No – I’m fine – I don’t – don’t _touch_ me!” he gasped, panicking at the pressure Chrollo exerted, snatching his arm away from his boss as he attempted to guide him back into his seat.

He pushed the man away with his free arm and fell backwards into the rickety archive chair. He stayed there, winded, realising what he had just done. “I’m fine,” he repeated, avoiding Chrollo’s eyes. “I’m fine, I– I… I’m really sorry.”

Chrollo held up his hands close to his chest, backing away as much as he could while still sitting on the table. “I won’t touch you, don’t worry” he assured the boy, having recovered from the initial surprise at the boy’s outburst.

“Look at me,” he said, waiting for Kurapika to meet his eyes before he continued. “I’m going to go down to the cafeteria to get you something to eat and drink. You stay right where you are and take it easy. Try to calm down.” He put down his hands on each side of his legs, not letting go of the eye contact. Kurapika looked almost like a wounded animal, and it made the guilt he had felt earlier stronger. “Is that okay?” he asked.

Kurapika closed his eyes and took a deep breath before looking back up at Chrollo. "Yes, that's okay," he said, staring into dark eyes, wondering why Chrollo bothered being so patient with him. "I'm calm. I apologise for what came over me."

It was safe – he was beginning to feel the panic subside. He didn't want pity, or favours, but it was better not to fight it for now, lest he hurt himself further. It was true he hadn't eaten since the noodles – and if he was supposed to take his supervisor's advice, he was already failing at that task.

Chrollo nodded, taking no note of the apology. Guilt aside, he didn't think it mattered, it was only good the boy was making his limits clear. Now Chollo knew what level to play on until those limits were ready to be broken.

Finally breaking the eye contact he shuffled a little to the right and slid off the table, now standing next to where Kurapika was sitting. "I'll be right back," he said and walked to the door, glancing over his shoulder until the boy was out of sight.

Kurapika didn't bother watching Chrollo leave the room. He knew the director would be back soon enough, perhaps after calling a doctor or a therapist. He'd probably be told to give up on the internship for health reasons – after that outburst continuing his work didn't seem like an option he would have. Convinced of the outcome, he almost wanted to get up and go before Chrollo came back. He'd already made such a hash of things, what would it matter if he just ignored his instructions and left to go back home?

He started to get up, moving to pack his notes away as another wave of nausea hit him. If he collapsed, he wouldn't be able to live it down, so he sat down again in frustration. Perhaps it had been a terrible choice to come here, where there was so much to remind him of his past. He knew that there would be a collection, even if he hadn't expected it to be this big, so why did seeing things again hurt him so much?

He tried to empty his mind, staring off into the darkness, into the direction of the artefacts belonging to his lost family and and friends. If he had even the slightest hope of a second chance, he'd take it, but he had to wait for Chrollo to return.

\---

It took Chrollo a little over five minutes to go all the way to the cafeteria and back. He balanced the tray with a mug of tea, a can of juice and a sandwich in one hand and opened the door. Having slipped inside he let the door slam closed behind him.

Despite the sound he found Kurapika sitting where he'd left him, staring in between the shelves. Straight towards the Kurta shelf. Looking down he saw that the boy's things had been moved around, bag now lying on the table as well. But he was still there.

"I'm back," he said, placing the tray on the table in front of the boy. "Here's what I brought, please eat it. You need it." He pulled another chair closer and sat down about a metre from Kurapika.

Kurapika looked down at the food and back up at Chrollo, “You’re asking me to eat and drink In the archives?” he asked, “Surely that’s not allowed.”

“Now it is,” Chrollo said, raising an eyebrow.

It didn’t look like Chrollo was going to move or change his mind, so after a moment, Kurapika reached out to take the mug of tea. He sipped it before putting it down, letting the still-steaming drink warm him up. After a moment he put it down, aware of the fact that the director still seemed to be watching his every move. He frowned and stared back at Chrollo as he picked up the sandwich, wondering what the man was thinking.

After he had finished and washed down the last mouthful with a sip of the juice, he cocked his head to the side and frowned, “Are you really just going to sit there and watch me?” he asked, “It’s kind of creepy.”

Chrollo smiled at the cocky comment and turned to lean on the table. “That’s part of my aesthetic,” he said, raising an eyebrow while still keeping his eyes on the Kurta. “So, do you think you’re up for unboxing that delivery? I have a feeling it’s pointless to tell you to go rest until tomorrow.”

“What?” Kurapika asked, a little surprised at how easy Chrollo made it for him to slip right back into work. "Of course I'm up for it." he added, growing a newfound respect for the creepy museum director. He had handled the situation with ease, and despite his concern, took Kurapika's stubbornness seriously without stifling him. _This isn't even a second chance_ , he thought, _it's as though nothing has even happened._

Kurapika started moving his things into his bag. It had been dumped on the desk when he tried to pack earlier, but he hadn't taken out much and he soon made quick work of it. He stood up with care – the dizziness and nausea being more manageable this time – and pulled it over his shoulder.

"Let's go," He said, picking up the tray. "Thank you for the food."

Chrollo let the smile stay on his face, amused by Kurapika's determination. He got up as the boy was ready and took the tray out of his hand. "You're welcome. Try not to forget to eat again." He said it in a soft voice, but without leaving any room for discussion.

"We'll go past the cafeteria on our way." With a small grin he added "Now then, the artefacts are waiting," and led Kurapika out of the closed collection.

\---

Despite the rocky start, Kurapika found that the rest of his first week went well. His outburst in the archive was never mentioned again and after the initial unboxing, Chrollo left him to his work. He spent the rest of the day with Yadira, removing and inspecting the items that arrived.

The boxes contained mostly old books and trinkets – though there were more significant finds as well. Among the items was a small cloth bag that held a delicate traditional instrument, which even Yadira handled with the utmost care. He occupied himself with his lessons, learning how to check the condition of artefacts and verify their authenticity, determining where in the museum the item needed to go.

At lunchtime, he followed other members of staff to the cafeteria, where he bumped into Chrollo again. It wasn't often, but in the days that followed they fell into a sort of habit of meeting up for lunch whenever possible – usually just for a quick sandwich and a short catch up – mostly discussion about how Kurapika's dissertation was going.

They found they had a lot to talk about, and the dissertation was most definitely going well. When Kurapika wasn’t spending time doing admin or learning how to sort and catalogue items, he was deep in the closed collection or museum library, buried in books or old artefacts. In just a few days he’d made more progress than he had in a month back in his university, and as the week drew to a close he felt more confident that coming to the museum was the right decision.

Feeling more relaxed, Kurapika made plans for his first _proper_ weekend since arriving. He had finished the collection of short stories from the book cafe and decided to go back to return it, and then perhaps he would go to check out the gym Chrollo mentioned.

He headed to the cafe on foot. The place was a good half hour away but it gave him the chance to check out the city sights and familiarise himself with the area. By the time he arrived, it was late in the morning, but the cafe wasn’t all that crowded. He ordered a latte and a muffin, before looking around for a place to sit.

To his surprise, in one of the corners of the cafe by a window, he spotted Chrollo sitting with his nose buried in a book. He paused for a moment, wondering if he ought to bother his boss while he was relaxing outside of work, but he figured it would be polite to at least say hello.

Approaching him, he cleared his throat a little and spoke, "Good morning, Chrollo... I wasn't expecting to see you here."

Chrollo looked up from his book at the sudden mention of his name. This was a pleasant surprise, and a smile spread on his face as he greeted Kurapika back. "I could say the same," he added, pulling his mug and empty plate closer to himself to make space for Kurapika's order.

"Please, there's space, sit down if you don't mind the company" he said, gesturing to the chair on the opposite side of the small table. "I'm glad you liked this place enough to come back."

Kurapika placed his small tray on the table and slid into the chair opposite Chrollo. “I thought I’d come here for a little quiet reading,” he said, taking a sip of his coffee. “I finished the book I borrowed last time, so I wanted to take the opportunity to return it and try some of the snacks on offer while I can sit down.”

He pulled out the old book and placed it on the table, ready to be returned to the shelf. “I hope you don’t mind if I leave you for a moment, while I go take a look for another book?”

“Not at all,” Chrollo answered, smile still intact. “There were some new ones on the left shelf over there,” he gestured with the hand not holding his book. “Take your time.”

He turned his book upside down and grabbed his coffee mug. “Actually, I might as well get another coffee while you browse, it’s already quite a while since I finished this one,” he said as he got up, before adding “I think,” with a chuckle. “Time flies when enjoying good books.”

With the mug in hand he headed over to the counter and ordered another coffee. As the shop lady promised to bring it to the table he returned. Instead of taking up his book again, however, he found himself watching the blond boy browsing the shelves.

Chrollo looked down as the boy finally headed back to the table, pretending that he hadn’t been watching him. "Sorry about that," Kurapika said as he put the thin book down on the table and sat down. "I didn't really have anything in mind, so it took me a while to find something…"

"Oh, don't worry about that," Chrollo said with a wide smile, and added "my coffee isn't even here yet" with a chuckle.

It was almost odd how he was only happy to have his calm Saturday interrupted by the presence of the Kurta. Even besides his _interests_ in him, he'd already found him to be very pleasant company, something few people easily reached. But Kurapika was far above normal people.

"So what did you find?" he asked, as his second coffee arrived, thanking the lady with a smile.

Kurapika slid the book forward, "It's a small collection of essays on modern literature by Kiritani Noa." he said, "I've not read this author before but it seems like a light read – plus, I've heard his name mentioned by some of my classmates before, so I'm also a little curious."

Chrollo nodded. "I'm familiar with his work, good choice." He stirred his coffee and took a sip of the still scalding hot liquid, making a small sound of appreciation.

"Though I wonder if your classmates really did recommend you that specific part of his works. It's not what he's famous for." He chuckled and raised an eyebrow behind his scarf, quite interested in Kurapika's knowledge on the subject.

Kurapika frowned, unsure of what Chrollo meant, “Well, no one recommended him to me specifically; I’ve just heard his name mentioned before. I think someone asked if I _had_ read anything by him.” He pulled the book back and started flipping through some of the pages. “I don’t get to read a lot of modern literature for class, so it’s always nice to read a bit of criticism for insight without feeling any pressure – but if this isn’t what he’s famous for, then what is it?”

Chrollo smiled, watching Kurapika’s long fingers flip through the pages. He took another sip of his coffee before answering. “He’s famous for his high-quality, rather steamy romance novels. Especially popular with young people these days.” He put his elbow on the table and leaned on it, other hand playing with his cup.

Kurapika stopped flipping and looked across at Chrollo, trying to judge whether or not this was another of his numerous jokes, "... I see," he said, not expecting that sort of answer. It seemed that Chrollo was 100% serious, but he was so difficult for Kurapika to read.

He closed the book and took a sip of his own coffee, feeling a little colour rise to his cheeks. Chrollo could still be considered young by some standards – especially for a museum director, but it was a little weird to imagine him reading 'steamy romance novels', even if he wasn't Kurapika's boss.

"I hadn't heard of him at all in that context ," he said, "I wouldn't have thought my classmates were wondering if I'd had any interest in his... other work..."

Kurapika was beautiful when he blushed, the red colour suited the boy. Chrollo was quickly learning which buttons to press to achieve it and soon enough he hoped to be the one to turn his eyes red as well. And he had just been given a perfect chance to press a button or two.

"Not much for romance then? I'm sad." he asked, a smirk on his lips but eyes locked on the boy's face.

“Well– ” Kurapika looked away, distracting himself by breaking his muffin into bite sized pieces. If Chrollo was flirting again he wouldn't let it get to him, so he answered the question seriously, “Not really, I’ve just never had the time. ”

It wasn’t as though the idea of romance was all that embarrassing or foreign to him; he understood the appeal of romance stories, but he felt too removed from them. It wasn't a luxury that he considered an option for himself, and if the way he hurt Leorio was any indication, he probably wasn’t cut out for it in the first place.

"I need to put my work first," he explained, "and I'm not saying that because I'm working for you – I just don't think I would be very good at being romantic."

"No need to be so harsh on yourself," Chrollo commented with a smile. He reached out and picked up one of Kurapika's muffin pieces, bringing it to his mouth without a word. Having swallowed it he continued.

"Though, that seems to be yet another thing we have in common. I've never been good at it either." He swiped some hair behind his ear, another smile covering his lips. "Though you're still young, you have time. My case is much more hopeless, I'd say," he chuckled and reached out to snatch another muffin piece.

Kurapika frowned, "You _are_ hopeless if you can't keep your hands to yourself," he quipped, grabbing the muffin piece Chrollo seemed to be aiming for. He ate it quickly, before pulling his plate a little closer to him. It wasn't out of the man's reach but it would get the point across – maybe.

_I’d rather not keep them to myself,_ Chrollo thought, as he retreated his hand back to his coffee mug. The boy’s sudden attitude was refreshing and quite encouraging despite the harsh choice of words. He did want another muffin piece, though.

"I might be young but I'm not going to think that I have all the time in the world. Life is harsher than that." Kurapika said. He popped another piece of his muffin into his mouth, pondering Chrollo's words. Something about them bothered him, "you're not even that old, are you? You sound like you think your time is up already..."

“Trust me, you too will feel doomed once thirty is just around the corner,” he laughed. “And one thing is sure, you don’t meet many new people when stuck in archives.” He smiled.

"I've never really been one for meeting people, no matter my age" Kurapika replied, putting another piece of muffin in his mouth to disguise a small smile. "Perhaps that's why the archives suit me well."

He paused, noticing the way Chrollo's eyes were following his movements as he ate. "You know, you could just ask if you want to share," he said, breaking off a small piece and holding it out to Chrollo. "If you can only resort to stealing, I don't think feeling doomed has anything to do with being almost thirty, does it?"

Chrollo looked at the boy’s outstretched hand for a second before a smirk covered his lips. “Hmm, maybe feeling doomed is a lifestyle choice then,” he retorted before leaning forward and snatching the muffin piece between his lips. Letting his lips just barely touch the boys fingers he pulled away and swallowed the piece, small smirk still intact.

Kurapika froze, his outstretched hand trembling as he processed what just happened. How was Chrollo able to do things like this? The man was playing with him and he couldn't stand for it, even if he we just a mere intern. He pulled his hand back, his face turning to a violent shade of red. "That… that was _incredibly_ inappropriate," he stuttered, standing up. He knew he was flustered – almost more than he was outraged – and he wanted to get away from the man until he could get his thoughts back into order. "I... I think I'll excuse myself for a moment."

Chrollo’s smile disappeared as he watched the boy rush off. With a sigh he took another piece of the muffin Kurapika had abandoned on the table. Maybe he’d gone too far, too fast. He might have to slow down a little.

He brushed his hair back and grabbed Kurapika’s almost empty coffee mug and headed over to the counter with it. “Could I get another one of this?” he asked the lady.

“Of course. But you need to be more careful, dear, he seems quite shy.” Chrollo opened his mouth to reply but stopped for a second, not sure what to say. After a moment he settled for a calm “It seems so, yeah. Thank you.” She smiled at him and started on the coffee. Meanwhile Chrollo took the still not empty mug back, eyes catching on the muffin on the table.

Once the coffee was done he asked for another muffin as well and the lady’s wink as she handed them over was almost a little unsettling. He suddenly felt like he didn’t know what he was doing at all and it was frustrating. Maybe his plan wasn’t as flawless as he'd thought.

He placed the new coffee and muffin on Kurapika’s side of the table and returned to his chair. Having glanced towards the bathroom once or twice he picked up his book and continued reading.

\---

Kurapika emerged from the bathroom a few minutes later. With some relief he saw that Chrollo didn't seem angry or insulted by his sudden departure, on the contrary he was reading a book as though nothing much had happened. Kurapika had made up his mind to say something to his boss about the way he was acting, but as he approached the table he noticed that his coffee had been refilled and a new muffin was on the table in its place.

"Chrollo, I –" He said, still standing, placing his hands on the back of his chair. He didn't want to lose his nerve. "I'm sorry I ran off. I'm not sure what you're trying to do, and thank you for ... this..." he gestured to the coffee and muffin, "but I don't feel that your actions with me have been entirely appropriate as my boss…"

Chrollo looked up and listened to the boy’s words without making a sound. When Kurapika stopped he waited for him to continue, but as the boy made no sign of continuing he figured he better say something.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t intend to make you feel uncomfortable.” He paused, tapping his fingers on his book. “I’m not– I enjoy your company a lot.” He looked away for a moment. “I know I’m not very good at socialising…” he continued and turned his eyes back to Kurapika’s, somewhat relieved the boy was still looking at him. “Do you want me to stop?”

Kurapika frowned, gripping the back of the chair a little tighter as he pondered the question. Perhaps this was what people meant when they called Chrollo 'creepy', but he genuinely seemed to enjoy Kurapika's company – and Kurapika couldn't deny that he had found his boss pleasant to be around as well. They had a lot in common, and Chrollo had given him a second chance despite seeing him at his absolute worst, something that Kurapika hadn't expected and was still grateful for. He didn't think that the man's actions were appropriate, but it didn't change the fact that … even after all that, he found the attention kind of flattering, and didn't want their social relationship to stop.

"I... I don't know." he said finally, looking away from Chrollo as he slowly pulled the chair out and sat down in it again, breaking the new muffin in half and sliding it to the man across the table. "You've surprised me more times than I'd like, and I can never tell what you're thinking," he admitted, "but it's not always a bad thing…"

_Not always a bad thing_ , Chrollo repeated in his mind, relieved his words seemed to have had a positive effect. Pleased that he was indeed making progress and that he hadn’t messed that up too badly. He pulled the plate with the offered muffin piece a bit closer before looking at the now sitting boy again.

“I see. I get that a lot, –but I’m glad.” He smiled a little and added “I’ll try not to… make you uncomfortable again.” He paused and took a sip from his almost cold coffee before continuing. “But I’m sure you came here to read so, I should let you get to that…” He gestured towards Kurapika’s book on the table and then pulled his own closer.

Kurapika nodded and pulled the book he had picked up earlier towards him, flipping it open to the first page. It was a little awkward and difficult to concentrate at first, but eventually they fell into a more comfortable silence. The few times they did talk were pleasant and relaxing, the quiet mood giving Kurapika the space to think and absorb not only the words he was reading, but the morning's events which were still somewhat overwhelming.

The hours passed quickly, but absorbed in the book he was reading, Kurapika started to appreciate the company of another person. It felt less lonely to have someone around as he read, and it felt good to be able to share something without having to say a word to each other.

He managed to finish almost two thirds of the slim volume before realising it was starting to get late. He took the book with him as he left and bid Chrollo goodbye, wondering whether he had made a mistake in allowing their friendship to grow in this way. It didn’t seem like a bad thing; he hadn’t had such a pleasant free afternoon for a while. And though a part of him felt like he should keep his private and professional lives separate, Chrollo was difficult to leave alone. He put the thought out of his mind and headed to the gym, trying to ignore how much he was looking forward to the beginning of the next working week.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A run.

Chrollo had been quite busy for a few days and he'd only managed to run into Kurapika for lunch once yet this week. It was already Thursday and only now was he able to leave his office at a normal hour. He'd gotten an idea earlier, and he hoped Kurapika might not mind his company.

He made his way down to the bottom floor to the closed collection where he knew the boy was spending yet another day. Unlocking the door and stepping inside he found Kurapika with his nose in some documents, just as he'd expected. The boy was working hard.

"Kurapika," he started, smiling at the boy as he looked up. "I'm actually able to go home tonight so I was planning to go for a run –I just need to move," he laughed. "I was wondering if you might want to join in? I could show you some nice routes."

“A run?’ Kurapika asked, considering the offer. He hadn’t been keeping his training regimen up as much as he’d have liked, so getting to know a few more routes might come in useful. He was grateful for the distraction at the end of the day, and it would be nice to see the man again as well. After their encounter at the book cafe, he had spent more time than he liked to admit wondering what his eccentric boss was up to.

“I suppose I could join you. I’d have to go back home to get changed first, though.”

Chrollo smiled, almost relieved by Kurapika’s decision. "Yeah of course, I was thinking..." He pulled out his phone from his pocket and look at the time. "How about seven? I could come get you."

He hoped that wasn't implying too much. He only hoped to politely make things easier for the boy who was still new to the city. Mostly.

"Sure," Kurapika said, already starting to pack his things away, "Seven sounds good. I was just finishing up, so it shouldn't take me more than fifteen minutes to get ready."

He tucked his notes into his bag and moved to put the objects he was working on back into their designated drawers. It worried him a little that he was so eager to spend time with the director despite his misgivings, but after seeing so little of him during the week he realised that he sort of enjoyed his company. A run wouldn't do any harm, he rationalised. Being on good terms with his boss would certainly help with his chances of landing a permanent job, after all.

He finished tidying and turned to Chrollo again, pulling the heavy bag over his shoulder. "I'll head home now to drop these off and get ready. I'll see you soon, then?"

"That sounds good," Chrollo said with another smile. "See you," he added as well and headed back out the door he came from, nodding a final goodbye as they headed in different directions.

\---

Kurapika's phone vibrated in his pocket, startling him. He had finished changing into running clothes some time ago and was waiting for the doorbell to ring – he hadn't expected to receive a text. He barely used his mobile at all, and aside from delivery companies or group project-mates from his university the only other person who knew his phone number was Leorio. He pulled the phone out of his pocket and checked the message, surprised to find that it was from Chrollo.

"Waiting outside - Chrollo"

Kurapika got up and rushed to the door to let the man in, wondering when he had got hold of his number. The only time Chrollo could have saved it was during the brief phone call he had made accepting the internship offer – had the man already anticipated calling him in this way back then?

He put the thoughts out of his mind and opened the door, greeting his boss with a professional smile. "Good evening, I hope you weren't waiting long..? I didn't expect you to text..."

“Not at all, I just arrived,” Chrollo said with a small smile, just a little surprised by how fast the boy had come out to greet him. “I’m sorry, I thought it less intrusive than coming all the way inside.”

“It’s quite alright, but you know there _is_ such thing as a doorbell,” Kurapika said with a crooked smile. Texting was indeed less intrusive, but he couldn’t help but feel as though there was something a little unsettling about receiving the unexpected message. He adjusted his light windbreaker before stepping out onto the sidewalk. “Thank you for coming, though.”

“I take it you’re ready?” Chrollo asked, waiting for Kurapika to exit and close the door behind him. “It is a bit chilly tonight, so I can’t wait to get moving. I was thinking we’d start going that way, towards the lake.” He pointed up along the street, in the opposite direction of the museum.

Kurapika looked out in the direction Chrollo indicated and nodded, turning to closing the door behind him and double-locking it. “That sounds like a good idea,” he said. “I haven’t been that way before, so I’ll look forward to taking a look at the sights as we go, too.”

“The lake area is quite nice, I hope you’ll like it,” Chrollo said with a smile. “Well then, let’s go,” he added, and started running at a rather slow pace, looking over his shoulder to see that Kurapika followed him.

The route they took was a comfortable one, winding through picturesque city streets in the more upmarket areas of town. Chrollo set the pace and Kurapika followed, their slow start allowing him to appreciate the architecture of the buildings that grew grander and more imposing.

When they reached the lake area, Chrollo picked up speed - it took effort for Kurapika to keep up. He didn't want to be the first person to suggest stopping for a break, so he kept running alongside the man, unzipping his light wind jacket as he started to break a sweat. He kept one eye on his boss, trying to gauge how close he was to tiring – but it was hard to stay focused, and as he followed the man's movements he started to feel distressingly more self conscious. They were just out for a friendly run – nothing more – and the pinkness in his cheeks could only be blamed on physical exertion. He was glad that the light had already faded.

“Where are we now?” He asked Chrollo as a sort of distraction. Even if he was a little out of breath, it wouldn’t be too strange for him to want to know more about the area as they ran.

"This area is called District Hill," Chrollo said between steady breaths without slowing down. "This park area runs all along this side of the lake. You'll see the city center soon." Which he hoped the boy would appreciate, because Chrollo wouldn't mind a break at all. He was quite sure Kurapika had gotten tired quite a while ago, but the way he felt the boy's eyes on himself the whole time made him not want to stop. He was quite sure Kurapika would not be the one to request it either.

A few more corners past some recreational buildings and he turned in on a smaller path, going straight out towards the lake. As the trees gave way for a small beach sticking out into the water. Across the water you could see the bright lights of the city center, even the museum, light up the already dark night. Without a word he came to a stop by the water and looked to his side with a smile, opening his jacket casually.

Kurapika smiled back at Chrollo. He was grateful for the rest, but the relief was all but forgotten as he realised how painfully aware he was of the man standing next to him. He could hear Chrollo’s heavy breaths in the chilly air, and as he caught sight of the open jacket, Kurapika felt his heart rate rise again.

It wasn't as though this should be anything out of the ordinary. The lights of the city were reflected in the still surface of the lake and glittered in the distance, and he wondered about Chrollo’s intent in choosing this spot – in terms of atmosphere, it was almost romantic. That stupid smile of Chrollo's was addictive – he already knew that, and the shirt he wore under the jacket looked uncomfortably tight. Kurapika could see the way it clung to his body even in the dim light of the evening.

Flustered, he tore his eyes away from Chrollo and fixated on the lights in the distance, fiddling with the edge of his own open jacket before speaking in a slightly cracked voice, somewhere just above a whisper. "It's beautiful, thank you for bringing me here."

Chrollo's smile widened a bit, but he wasn'tsure if it was because of the fact that Kurapika liked the view or how he seemed much more interested in what was physically closer – him. The way the boy's voice was barely audible, the way he didn't seem to know where to look or what to do with his hands – Chrollo had to practice some self control to not stare back in an all too obvious manner. He was winning his outdrawn battle.

"I had a feeling you would like it," he started, looking out over the lake as well. "I quite enjoy running here, this is such a relaxing place to stop and just... Appreciate the view for a little while." He turned his eyes back to Kurapika, locking on his face that was lit up by the reflections in the water. "A calm break before heading back."

Kurapika nodded, not trusting himself to say much as he stared out at the city lights. It was supposed to be a calm break, but his heart was still pounding almost as hard as it had been while at a full run. He sighed before taking a deep breath, closing his eyes against the wind.

"I'll keep it in mind for next time," he murmured, stretching a little and turning back to Chrollo. "Though it's getting late, so perhaps we ought to be heading back now."

Forcing his eyes away from the stretching Kurta, Chrollo looked at the time on his phone before slipping it back into his pocket. “You’re right, we better head back.”

With another glance at the boy, taking in his still somewhat flustered appearance one more time, he zipped his jacket back up and started moving again, hearing Kurapika follow him. Instead of going back the exact way they came he chose the path along the edge of the lake, a shorter and less scenic way back.

The break had been just enough to regain some energy but not long enough to cool off entirely, so it was easy to regain the same speed as before. If they kept it up, going this way, it would only take them a little over 15 minutes to reach Kurapika’s apartment.

They ran the rest of the way in silence, allowing Kurapika to stay lost in his thoughts. Though he could have used a longer break, he was relieved to start running again. Having something to do with his arms and legs felt less awkward than standing around – especially in such proximity to his boss.

As he jogged along behind Chrollo, Kurapika found his thoughts circling back again and again to the eccentric director. He knew already that he was playing a dangerous sort of game and there was a real danger that he was losing. He had caught himself staring so many times during the run he had almost lost count. There was something both unsettling and compelling about the man that Kurapika was drawn to, and it worried him that he couldn't understand the sudden attraction or rationalise it away.

The streets started to become more familiar as they left the park grounds and re-entered the city. Soon, Kurapika was able to see the museum in the distance – the surefire landmark that signalled that he was close to home. They turned on on his street and came to a stop at his door all too soon. He stepped up to the entrance and fished out his keys, playing with them as he turned around again to address Chrollo. "That was great, I really hope we can do it again sometime. Thank you again for taking me along..."

"The pleasure was all mine, I'm grateful for the company," Chrollo answered, another warm smile on his lips. He was smiling all the time these days, but it seemed to work in his favour.

"I guess we'll run into each other tomorrow." He brushed some sticky hair behind his ear and turned to his side, ready to leave. "I'm looking forward to the next time. Good night, Kurapika."

"Yes, I hope I'll see you tomorrow" Kurapika replied, unsure of where to look. He had to go back into his house for some soothing tea and a much-needed shower, but he didn't quite want to end the meeting yet either – they had barely been able to talk during the run.

"Do you…" He started, before trailing off. How would Chrollo take being invited into his flat at this hour? Even if he made it clear that it was just for tea and nothing more, it probably wasn't the professional thing to do. He shook his head when Chrollo looked back to him.

"No. It’s nothing – good night!" he finished, turning and opening the door to step inside. He gave the man a small smile and closed the door abruptly, cutting off any chance he had to change his mind.

Chrollo stared at the closed door for a second, wondering what the boy had been about to say. Had he––? No, it was quite hard to think he would even consider that, in any shape, yet. But he was definitely yet another step closer. His smile turned into a quick smirk before letting it fall, such expressions now unnecessary with no one there to see them.

He headed off in the direction of his own apartment, still having quite some way to go himself.

\---

Kurapika stood with his back to the door, listening to Chrollo’s footsteps as they faded out of earshot. He had almost made a terrible mistake – he didn't want to admit how easily the thought of inviting the man in had come to him, or how he almost regretted not finishing his sentence. He sighed and made his way to the bathroom, hoping that a relaxing shower would put his thoughts to rest.

He spent the rest of the evening with a calming cup of chamomile tea and a book that he couldn't concentrate on, before moving to bed and falling asleep almost immediately.

He began to dream as soon as his head hit the pillow – disjointed images that flowed in and out of each other, intangible and incoherent. They had no form until he found himself floating in the middle of a vast sea – alone. Taking a breath, he began to swim. The horizon stretched out in every direction and time seemed to drag on endlessly. He was compelled to keep going, despite the cold water and the pain in his muscles, not knowing how or where his destination was.

He had no idea how much time had passed. In reality it might have been a few seconds, but in the dream it had felt like hours. The clouds in the sky darkened and the water began to swirl around him. He sank under the churning waves, faced only with the blurred sight of an obscure figure – half man, half fish. It held his neck in a vice-like grip and pulled him downwards, deep into calmer, colder water. He fought to come up for air, the creature’s nails raking lines deep into his skin as he struggled. He almost gave up when the grip loosened; he felt warm lips on his and a life-giving breath of air reached his lungs. He placed his fingers on his neck and realised that there were gill slits where its hands had held him. Able to breathe again, he opened his eyes in the cold, still darkness and saw that the creature had Chrollo’s face, and that it was smiling.

\---

The next morning, Kurapika went to work as usual – the dream still fresh in his mind. He could still recall the strength of Chrollo's grip, dragging him downwards, and the warmth of his embrace as he transformed. It made him shiver in the cold archive room, but he persevered and did his work with his usual diligence. He had been so close to falling his professional image that he felt that he had to make up for it somehow.

At lunchtime, he headed to the canteen and ran into Chrollo as he was leaving. The director seemed to be in a hurry, dressed impeccably for a meeting and cramming a half eaten sandwich into his mouth. He gave Kurapika a small wave, but the boy could barely say hello as they passed each other, nodding a little in acknowledgment and moving on into the dining hall.

The next few days passed in a blur. Kurapika found himself handling a few more deliveries between his studies, and he was starting to become quite comfortable with the administrative process. The office ladies enjoyed his company – he proved popular with them, but he found himself missing the unpredictable excitement that Chrollo provided when they spent time together. When he asked about the director's whereabouts, his colleagues laughed and assured him that Chrollo Lucilfer was a busy and enigmatic character; it was almost unheard of for him to take such an obvious interest in somebody – but it was not uncommon for him to disappear in this way. He had things to do and people to see. He would likely get in touch again soon, to make sure that everything was running smoothly.

And two days later, that is exactly what he did – making Kurapika feel foolish for wondering. An hour before he was due to break for lunch, Kurapika got a message on his mobile phone – he reached out and tapped on the notification, wondering just what the director wanted.

"Would you have time to have lunch with me at 1? I was thinking the Padokian place would be nice. It's on 23 Hobbes Street. Meet me there? –Chrollo"

Kurapika tapped out a quick reply, “Of course, I’ll meet you there at 1. See you soon.”

He pressed send and put his phone back into his pocket. He had less than an hour to get his morning’s work done and head out to have lunch.

\----

Chrollo entered the restaurant he’d suggested about five minutes before they were supposed to meet. He’d had to hurry over from the nearby university, where he’d met up with some researchers relating to an upcoming project. While he did in fact love his job, it had all been very dull and he was looking forward to the Kurta’s company.

He’d been pleased when Kurapika had replied right away, and so he’d made sure to not make the boy wait for him. So instead he found enough time to choose a table and sit down. The waiter brought him a menu and he requested one more, as his company would be here any minute. With both menus on the table he leaned back and checked his phone. It had been days since he’d had a chance to properly spend any time with the boy. But even so, it was easy to admit to himself that Kurapika took up most of his attention even when not present. _Patience._

He didn’t have to wait long – Kurapika arrived at the restaurant right on time. The waitress showed the boy to the table and he greeted Chrollo with a small smile before putting his jacket away.

Kurapika was still a little out of breath from rushing halfway across town to the restaurant, but he tried to hide it – not wanting to show how eager he had been to make it to the lunch.

"Good afternoon," he said, settling into the chair. He picked up the menu and browsed it a little, "Were you waiting long? It seems like you've been here for a while already."

Chrollo smiled at the boy as he sat down. "Oh no, don't worry, I just arrived a few minutes ago, I haven't even looked at the menu yet." He picked up his own menu, browsing through it despite already knowing what they served. There were only so many ethnic restaurants around this part of town.

"I'm sorry to make you interrupt your work to come all the way out here, though I am glad." He smiled again, and closed his menu. "This is much preferable to the dry meeting I came from. But how has your day been so far?," he asked.

Kurapika nodded "It's been fine, I didn't get as much done this morning as I'd have liked, but things are going well. I should be able to make the deadline with a lot of time to spare…"

“That’s good to hear,” Chrollo said, and then leaned forward and pointed to the page Kurapika had open. "Actually, their axe cod stew is _really_ good."

Kurapika looked at the dish Chrollo pointed out, reading the description "Fish…?" he murmured, hiding a small grimace, "I don't... like seafood," he said softly. "But the vegetarian version sounds pretty good."

Chrollo smiled again, filing the information about the boy’s likes and dislikes in his head. “You quite like vegetarian food, don’t you? It suits you somehow.” He leaned on his elbow on the table and watched as the Kurta finished deciding what to eat.

"I'm not actually a vegetarian, but I think vegetables taste good – and they're healthy," Kurapika said as the waitress came over asking them for their orders. Chrollo ordered his own, _not_ vegetarian dish, and some water for them both and turned to Kurapika at the same time the waitress did.

"I'll have the vegetable stew, and a side order of meatballs." He smiled at Chrollo as he handed the menu back to the waitress. "I don't think I'll be able to finish all of that, so you can have some if you want."

Chrollo laughed at the boy's order and nodded. "I'm sure we can finish it all together."

“I’m sure we can, yes.” Kurapika felt a little childish for having to prove a point, but he shrugged and continued. He hadn’t had the chance to ask about the man’s day before they started to order. "In any case, I was wondering – since you haven’t been around much lately – what have you been doing?"

"Oh, I’ve just been working. Meetings, arranging things here and there. We have a few larger projects coming up later – there’s a lot of work related to those. Though – I’d like to apologise for being quite a failure of an academic supervisor. Never there to help. I might have underestimated the amount of projects keeping me busy..."

"There's no need for you to apologise or worry," Kurapika assured him, "I’ve been warned about how busy you can be with your own projects, and I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself – if I need your help I'll be sure to ask."

He watched Chrollo as he poured water for the both of them, wondering what was going through the man’s mind – surely he wasn’t feeling guilty for being absent academically. If he had time for lunch at a restaurant like this, he could have made an appointment in his office for a proper supervision. It would even have taken less time than whatever this was.

And just what was this, anyway? Despite the way things failed to add up, Kurapika had come running to see Chrollo at a moment’s notice. At least they were still talking about work, it was too complicated to think about anything else.

"That's good," Chrollo said with a smile as he put the bottle down. "And I don't doubt one bit that you're capable." He paused for a moment. "So they warned you," he laughed, putting on a somewhat hurt smile. "Well it's only the truth. I will be at the museum for the next few days, though."

"Well, it wasn't so much a warning – maybe more like something the staff said I should be aware of," Kurapika said, feeling a little foolish. "I'll look forward to seeing you around a little more often, though…"

As the food arrived, Kurapika nudged the side order of meatballs to the centre of the table and gave Chrollo an encouraging smile. "Please go ahead," he said, worried he'd ordered too much, "everything looks really good."

"Thank you, it does look good," Chrollo smiled, and lifted a few of the meatballs on to his own plate."I do wish I had more time to concentrate on my research at the museum. Sadly a director is needed for much more than that..." He chuckled. "But I will be around."

He started eating, watching as Kurapika did the same. "I'm relieved to see you're eating better," he commented after a short silence.

Kurapika paused and looked up at Chrollo mid-bite, a little surprised by the comment. “Well, I am eating now, yes.” he said wryly, taking another bite of his food.

With how well things were going, he had almost forgotten about the incident at the start of his internship. It shouldn’t have been surprising that Chrollo remembered, but he wasn’t sure he liked the idea of having been so vulnerable in front of him. “Thank you for your concern, but there’s no need to worry about me. My first week was just pretty hectic, that’s all."

Chrollo looked at him for a second and then nodded. "You're probably right, I'm relieved to see you've settled in, then" he started and took a bite before continuing.

He looked down. "But I worry because I care about your wellbeing." Then a smile and a sip of water. "But tell me more about how your research is going."

Kurapika nodded and began to talk about the progress of his work, but as they discussed the finer points of his research, he found it difficult to concentrate. His mind kept wandering back to Chrollo’s previous comment. Logically, caring about the wellbeing of one’s employees was the mark of a good boss, but something about the way he talked made Kurapika think that Chrollo meant another sort of _caring_.

The uncertainty of the man’s motives was driving Kurapika a little crazy, and though their conversation was pleasant, he couldn’t shake the feeling that this was intended to be somewhat more than a supervisory meeting. The feeling was similar to the uneasiness he felt during their run in the park – if Chrollo _did_ have something else in mind, just what would the point of that be?

By the time they finished eating, Kurapika was still no closer to understanding Chrollo’s motives. They had talked about work for the majority of the meal, but the atmosphere was tense and he found it difficult to meet the other man’s eyes. Though Kurapika insisted on paying for at least his share of the food, Chrollo wouldn’t have it. They left together, and as the waiters and waitresses ushered them out, Kurapika couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed that the lunch was over – he hadn’t managed to figure anything out.

“Are you heading back to the museum?” Kurapika asked, trying not to sound too enthusiastic, “Or do you have more meetings to go to...”

"Sadly, I still have somewhere else to be today," Chrollo answered with a demonstratively tired look on his face. "I will come back a bit later."

He turned a bit, making it clear he was going to leave in the opposite direction and smiled. "But thank you for keeping me company, I enjoyed this." Maybe it should've worried him how he wasn't lying in the slightest, but it didn't.

"I like spending time with you," he added with another smile. "But now I better leave, see you tomorrow, Kurapika."

“Yes, see you tomorrow,” Kurapika said, doing his best to return the smile. He didn’t want to look disappointed – it was bad enough that he _was_ disappointed at all. “I liked – I enjoyed this too. Thank you so much for lunch, and good luck with your meetings today...”

He turned away and started to head back towards the museum, a little lost in thought. He looked over his shoulder and caught sight of Chrollo walking away in the opposite direction, just as he disappeared around a corner. The rest of the day would be long, but there was always tomorrow to look forward to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're wondering if there would be anyone among our readers who would be interested in betaing for us? We might be able to update a little faster that way. : ) Just leave a comment if interested.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A different side of Chrollo.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay!  
> Things got a bit busy but we're getting back into the swing of things so hopefully updates will come less slowly now.
> 
> Thank you for your patience!

Kurapika had come to work early the next morning expecting another quiet day in the archives, but as he came through the staff door, Durdona was waiting for him. She was holding a large sheaf of documents and looked as though she was desperate to be somewhere else.

"Kurapika," she said, "I have to go home - it's an emergency, but these just came through for Chrollo to look at. Would you be a dear and drop them in his office? I'm sure he won't mind if it's you."

She shoved the papers into his hands and disappeared out the door, leaving him alone in the hallway. He stared after her for a moment before making his way up the stairs to the oak panelled office. It was too early in the morning for Chrollo to actually be at his desk, Kurapika thought, giving the door two soft knocks. There was no reply - as he expected, so he pushed the door open.

Peeking in, he saw that Chrollo was in his office. His arms lay folded on his desk, cradling his head as he slept in the fully lit room. Kurapika lingered in the doorway for a moment, unsure of what to do. If Chrollo was here, there was no question that he would see the documents if he left them next to him with a note. He crossed the room as quietly as he could and approached the sleeping man, stopping just beside him. It was clear that Chrollo had spent the night like this, but despite his rumpled appearance, there was still something about him that made Kurapika pause.

At that moment, Chrollo woke up. His eyes slowly opened and Kurapika stepped back, surprised by the movement. With a small displeased sound Chrollo forced his eyes closed again and untangled his stiff arms to rub at his eyes. Rolling his head around a bit, his neck making a small popping sound, he sat up straighter and turned to face Kurapika.

The “good morning” came out a lot weaker than Chrollo had intended, but despite every bone in his upper body hurting, a knowing smile spread over his face at the sight of the boy’s face. Stretching with his arms up towards the ceiling was only partly because he needed it.

"G..good morning" Kurapika replied, clutching the documents against his chest, "I didn't think you'd still be here. Did you spend the night like this?"

Chrollo laughed softly and slumped back into his chair. “If it’s morning, then I must have,” he said, voice still sounding a bit raspy and the words ended with a yawn. He popped his neck one more time, apologising for the rather creepy sound and turned to Kurapika.

“I was working late, I guess I fell asleep at some point. Did you have something for me?” he asked, reaching up to rub at his neck. Sleeping over desks was not something his neck muscles were fond of.

"Yes, Durdona asked me to give these to you," Kurapika said, holding out the papers. He felt his cheeks flush as Chrollo moved to make himself more comfortable and his breath caught a little in his throat as he tried to speak. Perhaps the situation was uncomfortable because it wasn’t exactly normal to walk into the office to find one’s boss sleeping at his desk. It was unprofessional, but also humanising – it seemed that Chrollo had his own weaknesses too.

"Who's the one not taking care of himself now?" He asked, cracking a crooked smile to hide his embarrassment, "this can't be good for you at all."

"Thank you,” Chrollo said as he took the papers from Kurapika, dropping them on his desk without even looking at them. "Don't worry, I'm not pretending this was a good idea," he said, smiling sheepishly at the boy. "Just... Work," he added, gesturing at the pile of old books and related notes next to him.

He made another small groan as a stinging pain shot up his neck. Rubbing it, he looked up at Kurapika. "I'm gonna need a massage." He gave the words a second to sink in before continuing. "But thank you for the documents, I guess I better go find myself a coffee." He stretched again as he stood up from the chair.

“You’re welcome. I think I should head down to the archives now,” Kurapika said, “I wanted to get a little extra work done this morning – but Durdona asked me to take the papers up when I came in.”

He still felt flustered, and the way Chrollo had looked straight at him as he suggested a massage had an effect on him he didn’t want to acknowledge. It was too early in the morning to deal with jokes like this – if it was a joke at all.

“I suppose I’ll see you later?” He asked, unsure if he wanted to or not, “If you’re not too busy with work, that is”

"Mmm, yeah, I'll be around today." Chrollo yawned again and lifted his jacket from the back of his chair. It was rather crumpled, but he smoothed it out a bit and put it on anyway. "And tomorrow," he added, sounding a little absent.

"Thanks for waking me up, actually," he muttered, looking at the clock on the wall. "Now then, coffee," he added and headed to the door, deliberately bumping into Kurapika a little on the way.

Kurapika stiffened, "You're welcome – but you know, you should take better care of yourself too," he added before following the sleepy man out of the room. "You need to take your own advice before giving it to others."

They parted ways in the corridor, and Kurapika rushed down to install himself in the archives. Work was a good distraction, and though he was somewhat happy to hear that Chrollo would be around for the next few days, he wasn't sure about whether he ought to seek him out.

He'd thought Chrollo was unreachable at first – a proud, eccentric genius who had succeeded in his chosen field at such a young age, but he was just as human as anyone else. He overworked himself and fell asleep at his desk, made inappropriate jokes and almost outright hit on his interns, but Kurapika still liked him. They read the same books, shared the same academic interests and even had similar hobbies. If he wasn't his boss, Kurapika thought they might have been pretty good friends, and it worried him that he started to wonder if they couldn't still be friends anyway.

If he could figure out exactly what Chrollo was trying to imply with his strange overtures, things would be a lot easier – but anything other than friendship seemed out of the question. It was just too difficult and it seemed self-absorbed to imagine someone so influential caring much more about him than that. Shrugging, he pushed the thoughts away and absorbed himself in his work, letting the other worries fade out of his mind. He could always deal with them later.

\----

After a total of three cups of coffee down in the cafeteria, and a quick freshening up in the director’s quarters (he was glad he had extra shirts lying around) and some other duties, Chrollo was finally ready to sit down and work on his own research for a while. For all the work he’d put into reaching this status one would think he’d have more freedom to do what he preferred. Well, he took all the rights he had the chance to or felt the need for. But still, his status came with certain responsibilities. Responsibilities that had to be taken care of to keep the benefits. The show had to go on.

He was genuinely relieved to have the upcoming days more or less empty. Having the Kurta working in the same space was only a perk, if a most appreciated one. He wondered if pushing the massage suggestion once more would be too much.

Deep in thought, he made a quick tour up to his office, and picked up a few notebooks and folders, before heading back down the stairs. Having entered the closed collection he washed his hands exactly the way he preached and made his way in among the shelves, finding Kurapika sitting by the table further in. He said a quick “hi again,” with a smile and put his materials down at the other end of the table. Looking his stuff over he turned to the nearest shelf and pulled out an old book, that was not in the place it was supposed to be, and sat down.

“H...hello,” Kurapika said in reply, dropping the pen he was holding, “Are you... working here today?” he asked, taken somewhat aback. He hadn’t expected to see the man again until lunchtime, and while an extra presence wasn’t unwelcome, he felt somehow self conscious to be working right in front of his boss.

"Yeah, yeah I am," Chrollo replied absentmindedly, already browsing through his material to find the place he'd left off at some point. "This whole place is still a work in progress," he added, and looked to the side. He was happy with what he'd achieved, but he still wanted more, still wanted the collection to be much more extensive.

He found his place and started reading already, while preparing his notes at the same time. Within seconds he realised what he forgot and asked for it without looking up. "You wouldn't happen to have an extra pen?"

"Yes, I do," Kurapika said, raising an eyebrow. Chrollo seemed kind of absent. It was obvious that he wasn't a morning person, but even so it was a little distracting to know he would be there working alongside him – just as Kurapika had managed to push his confusing and unprofessional thoughts about their relationship out of his mind.

He retrieved the pen he had dropped on the floor before picking through his pencil case for another one that worked and held it out to the man across the table. "Here."

Chrollo looked up and smiled at Kurapika. "Thank you," he said and tested the pen on his notebook right away before putting it down.

"Now then, research," he mumbled, already shuffling through his material again, eyes locked on old texts. As he again found where to continue from, he lifted the volume closer and concentrated on its yellowed pages.

While Chrollo settled into his work with ease, Kurapika found it difficult to pick up where he left off. The man's arrival shouldn't have bothered him, but it did. He didn't understand why; he had always been capable of working in crowded libraries and cafes, and a person's presence had never bothered him before. The collection was almost all the product of the director's own hard work, and it was only natural that he spent time here as well.

Perhaps it was only that Chrollo was his supervisor, and Kurapika was self-conscious about the quality of his work – but that didn't add up either. He would have to show the man his work when he finished, and he was confident enough in his methods that he ought not to mind. No normal person could even read his notes from that distance, so he should have nothing to actually worry about.

Frustrated by the way his thoughts kept going in circles, Kurapika found himself scanning the same sentence over and over again, not absorbing anything despite his desperate attempts to concentrate. His eyes always seemed to wander back in Chrollo's direction. The man sat leaning forward against the table, frowning in concentration with one hand thumbing through the pages of the aging tome in front of him. His other hand cupped his chin, fingers against his lips as he bit absently on a nail. It drew Kurapika’s attention and he caught himself staring at the man’s mouth for a moment before averting his gaze.

This had to stop. He had to get used to Chrollo’s presence while he worked. He forced his eyes back onto his books and he picked his pen up again, making a concentrated effort not to let himself get sidetracked. He hoped his boss had been too engrossed in his own work to notice anything amiss.

\-----

Working in the collection was relaxing and the hours passed in no time. It had felt almost a pity to stop when night came, but other important activities had been waiting for him. Chrollo wasn’t sure at what point the Kurta must’ve gotten used to his presence, but by the end of the day he had noticed the boy wasn’t staring as much anymore. That was also quite a pity.

He wasn’t sure which he liked more at the moment. Kurapika already being unable to concentrate in his presence, or Kurapika being strong and motivated enough to control his reactions and work calmly. This morning it had only taken him about 20 minutes or so find his concentration. Chrollo was sure it would’ve taken less had he worn a less flashy shirt.

Well, he had a feeling that would change very soon. Having reached a certain point in his research, he needed to get up and get different materials. Picking up the books he had around him he took them back to their correct places, one by one. Then, he headed down to the Kurta section, to pick out the few documents there was.

Kurapika noticed Chrollo's movement only peripherally. Despite the way the man's bright blue button-up shirt seemed a little too small for him, and the way it clung to his well-toned frame, his determination had paid off. While the urge to glance up was there, he managed to ignore it almost entirely. At least until he realised just how far along the row of materials Chrollo was heading.

Judging by Chrollo's footsteps and the measure of his gait, Kurapika calculated that he had stopped right in front of the section housing the small section of Kurta relics in the collection. He heard the soft slide of wood against wood as Chrollo opened one of the drawers and stiffened.

_The photographs_ , he thought, _what if he notices they are missing?_ His hand gripped the pen he was holding tight enough for his knuckles to show white, and he felt his heart pound. He wasn't going to be able to concentrate this time – he could feel it. It wasn't just the photographs either, how was he supposed to ignore the mementos of his past being spread out in front of him?

He was hyper-aware of every scrape and sound Chrollo made in the far corner of the archive, waiting for something – anything – to happen.

\---

Chrollo pulled out a folder containing data on the tribe members, one containing letters found and two books printed in their language. Carefully lifting them, he carried them back to the table, seeing how tense Kurapika’s shoulders had become well before reaching the table. He gently put them down by his seat and sat down, pretending this was nothing different than the previous material. Technically it wasn’t – He didn’t “know” about Kurapika’s heritage.

He picked up one of the books and flipped it open in front of him, turning the pages and looking through its contents. It was a language he didn’t understand, a language that he was looking forward to learning. That he would – at least a little – he was sure of. Had he been able to find a dictionary in the village before having to leave, he would have a long time ago. But there had been none. Kurapika, however, was a living dictionary. Among many other things.

Chrollo flipped yet another page, looking at the writing and smiling a little. “I wish the Kurta had dictionaries. They made research very hard for us,” he mumbled, only looking at Kurapika through his lashes.

"They _did_." Kurapika muttered under his breath almost immediately. His eyes flashed red behind his contact lenses and he put his pen down. Lifting a trembling hand he flicked a lock of hair behind his left ear, though there was no earring to fiddle with any more. He looked up at Chrollo and corrected himself, "I mean, I'm sure they must have... There is evidence that the Kurta clan had some minimal contact with the outside world, and they would have needed resources dedicated to communication."

He dug his nails into his palms under the table, cursing himself for the slip. _Forget about the pictures_ , he thought, he was close to blowing it himself. He hoped Chrollo wasn't going to comment too much on what he said; they had been working in silence up until now, it seemed strange to start up a conversation for no reason.

The topic just hit too close to home. In truth, Kurapika had a Kurta dictionary in his flat. It was one of his few prized possessions, the very thing he had used to learn the common language. He had stolen it from his father's study as soon as he was old enough to be curious about the outside world, but he couldn't share it with Chrollo. It was strange to think that it was now such a valuable resource.

He sighed, picking up his pen again. "I'm sorry," he said with a tight-lipped smile, "I don't mean to criticise the collection. I hope you find more helpful resources soon. I'd better get back to work."

Chrollo did look up as the boy spoke, and a smile formed on his lips at how obvious the boy was being despite how hard he was trying to keep it all inside. He was looking forward to seeing all those pent up emotions released.

"I'm sure they did," he nodded, and looked down at the pages again. "Sadly I haven't been able to acquire one though, so getting to the bottom of what they left in this world is proving difficult. Not to say," he gestured at the page in front of him with a smile, "the language looks so beautiful. It's such a shame it will be forgotten."

For a long moment, Kurapika didn't reply. He just looked down at his work, holding his pen unsteadily above the paper. Of course, Chrollo didn't understand anything about the Kurta language. To Kurapika, it was more than just _beautiful_ , but without its meaning it was little more than fancy swirls on a piece of paper. Reducing it to aesthetics seemed both trivial and disrespectful at the same time and Kurapika seethed at the thought. Yet, what more could Chrollo do? No one else in the world was able to appreciate the Kurta language for what it was, but in a lot of ways, Kurapika had lost that ability too.

After the massacre, almost everything about the Kurta become painful to think about. The process of eradicating any telling signs of his heritage for his own safety had taken its toll. Out of pride, Kurapika had kept his knowledge of the language alive to the best of his ability, but there was so little of it out there he had been reduced to reading the few children's books he had and even his dictionary over and over again from cover to cover. It had become a chore, a way of easing his guilt, disguised as duty to his dead family – but now that Chrollo pointed it out, the letters had their own kind of prettiness to them. He felt tears threaten to spring to his eyes but he choked them back and took a deep breath, subconsciously running his hand through the hair just above his left ear once again.

"I hope you find some way to preserve it," he said after a moment, his eyes still on his own work – he didn't trust himself to look up. "It would indeed be shameful for it to be forgotten."

Chrollo smiled, showing no visible signs of having noticed the boy’s obvious internal struggles. He did wonder though, how much could he ignore without that in itself becoming suspicious? How dense would Kurapika think he was? Anyway, it was still far too early to show any suspicion.  
“That’s what I’m hoping to do. It’s both my job and a personal interest of mine.” With another smile, he turned his gaze back down to the books. Kurapika was clearly close to breaking, and pulling that out would benefit neither of them at this point. So instead, Chrollo continued his work, taking notes in silence.

Kurapika breathed a small inward sigh of relief. He had been so close to giving everything away, but it confirmed that his anger was still as strong as it had always been. It was good they were no longer talking, at least not now. In many ways he preferred even the bad jokes and sharing lunch to whatever that discussion had been.

He continued as best he could with his study, still shaken by the memories. He made a show of being hard at work, but in truth he was watching and observing Chrollo as he made his way through the relics of Kurapika's past. It was partly fear that he would go back for the photographs, but also curiosity and horror. How would Chrollo treat these objects that meant so much to the people who had owned them before? Would hypothetical survivors of the clans Kurapika studied be as conflicted about his own work as he was about Chrollo's?

The rest of the day passed with little event. Chrollo made occasional quiet sounds of appreciation each time he handled a new artefact, but thankfully he never attempted conversation again. At the end of the day, Kurapika packed his things up and returned home, exhausted despite having done so little work. He would have to make it up by getting up early tomorrow and arriving in the archives well before Chrollo, but as he suspected, he found it somewhat difficult to rest. Most of the dreams he had that night were of his family, but as he finally managed to fall into a deep sleep, he dreamed again about the ocean.

\---

Chrollo was pleased to find his toy just as he’d left him this morning, before heading to the archive. Well, moving would have been impressive. He smirked to himself as he locked the door behind him and took off his jacket. “Comfortable?” he asked playfully, expecting no answer.

He rolled up his sleeves as he walked over to the boy, carefully tied up so he could barely move any part of his body. He leaned against the table and stroked the toy’s cheek and down his neck. “I had a very interesting day,” he said, his voice soft. “I’d like it to continue.” His hand slid down and pulled quite hard at a weight hanging from a pierced nipple. The boy gasped behind his gag.

Chrollo reached back up and removed the blindfold, watching as the boy blinked to get used to the light again. “I’m sure his eyes turned today. I was so close to seeing them.” He stroked a thumb across the toy’s eyelid, forcing it closed. “They must be so beautiful. So alive.” Another pull at a nipple piercing, another small gasp, and then he withdrew.

“We’ll have to let you move a bit soon, but not just yet.” He opened the cupboard next to them, taking out a bottle and a syringe. “I’ve had to hold back so much today, you’re going to be a great help.” Filling the syringe with the liquid, he but the cap back on and put it back into the cupboard. As he returned the toy was staring at him in anticipation, or was that a grain of fear? He wasn’t sure, but the possibility was interesting.

“Don’t worry, it’s not unlike what I’ve given you before,” he comforted it, and set to locating a vein in the toy’s arm. “There we go,” he mumbled as he found it and pushed the syringe inside. The toy was tense inside the ropes that surrounded him, but the small sound he made was not of disapproval.

“His voice is quite light, I like listening to him,” Chrollo explained as he pulled the syringe back out and threw it into a trash can. “It shouldn’t take long for it to take effect,” he added, looking over the toy’s body and the position he was stuck in. “He’s a little taller than you, too.” He smiled and dug a nail into the toy’s arm, pulling an audible gasp from behind the gag. “See, taking effect already.”

He raked his nails up along the toy’s arm, over his shoulder and down his chest, smiling at the toy’s small sounds, shivers and attempts to move. _Imagine something even sharper._

Looking back up, he slipped his fingers under the rope around the toy’s neck and pulled a little, forcing it a few centimeters into the air. “With him everything needs to be perfect. You understand? I only get one chance.” Chrollo’s other hand slid to his chest, this time gently stroking over his nipple instead of hurting it. The small gasp turned into a muffled moan. “But you can help me. In fact, I _need_ your help.” The other nipple got the same treatment and the toy’s breathing had become uneven.

“You’ll stay here and help me,” he started as his hand slid down the toy’s chest, over ropes, to reach his erection, only letting his fingers ghost over the tip. “Won’t you?” The toy gasped, and then nodded several times. Chrollo smiled.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A visit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Holidays everyone! Sorry for the long wait!

The next day, Kurapika arrived early, but even after two hours of solid work, Chrollo never showed up. As he began to wonder where his boss was and what he was doing, there was a knock on the archive door and Durdona poked her head in.

"Kurapika, I don't want to interrupt, but can you help out with sorting some paperwork this morning?" she asked. "It’s pretty tedious work but Petronella is off sick again, so we could use another hand."

"Of course I'd be happy to," he called back, packing his notes away and putting objects back into their drawers. "Just give me a minute."

He wondered if Chrollo was going to come down later expecting to find him there, but they had never made any promises. He'd also managed to catch up with a lot of work in the man's absence. Maybe getting out of the archives was the right choice. Still, he couldn’t help but feel a small twinge of regret.

He slung his bag over his shoulder and joined Durdona in the stairwell. As they walked, Kurapika could feel her eyes on him, as though she was sizing him up.

“Kurapika, I don’t want to pry,” she started, “But I was just wondering… how is it going with the director?”

He stared at her and frowned. “What do you mean?”

“Well… nothing, I guess,” she said as she opened the door to the office. Two more of his colleagues sat around a meeting table, a tall stack of papers dumped in the middle of it.

“Kurapika! How _are_ you?” one of them said as they arrived. “We’re sorry to trouble you this morning, but we missed a few files and need to clear out these invoices, so if you can take this pile and pick out anything that hasn’t been marked as paid, that would be really great...”

“No problem – I’ll get right on it,” he said, sitting down beside one of the ladies as she slid a stack of documents across the table. “It’s no trouble at all.”

She smiled, “You’re a real dear, Kurapika. It’s no wonder the director –”

“Oh hush,” the third woman interrupted from across the table. “He hasn’t said anything to us yet, you can’t just _assume_ –”

“Just ask him, then.” Durdona snapped, returning to her seat. “You’ve been going on about it for a while, you gossip.”

“I haven’t –”

“You have.”

“Okay, Okay – I’ll ask.”  

Kurapika looked from person to person across the table during their exchange, feeling as though he was invisible. He cleared his throat politely and they all shot him a look, before the other two turned back to the woman sitting next to him.

“Kurapika,” She said in a serious voice, turning her chair towards him and furrowing her brow. “What are your thoughts on Chrollo Lucilfer?”

“Chrollo?” Kurapika repeated, “what do you mean, thoughts? He’s been very generous to me, but I – “

“Do you think he’s interested in you?”

“I don’t know what you’re implying –”

“Did you know that he’s changed since you’ve come here?” she interrupted.“We’ve been thinking, he’s always been a bit of a loner. You know the type – polite, but kind of distant…”

“Darling, you’re making him sound like a character from a romance novel. He’s our _boss_.”

“But it’s so _romantic_ , he’s really opened up since you’ve come, Kurapika.” She said, taking his hand. “I’ve worried about him, you know. I always thought he wasn’t the type to be chasing skirts. You should keep doing whatever it is you’re doing. I think it’ll be for the best.”

Kurapika stared at her with wide eyes, confused by the conversation. Surely they weren’t implying what he thought they were implying? As far as he could tell, here was nothing “romantic” about the way he interacted with his boss. If they misinterpreted Chrollo’s bad jokes, he ought to correct them, but there was no way he could imagine taking any of it seriously.

“Oh, _god_ , you’re scaring him,” Durdona said, rolling her eyes. “Kurapika, I’m sorry. Ignore her, she’s being dramatic. It’s just that Chrollo has been more cheerful lately. He’s around a lot more often than he usually is, and we were wondering if you thought anything of it… but we’ve got a lot to do, so let’s get back to work.”

Disappointed, his colleague released his hand and patted him on his shoulder. “I apologise,” she said, as they all turned back to the papers. “For what it’s worth, I wasn’t trying to tease you. I really think he’s interested. If you’re so inclined, I think you two would be good for each other.”

\----

At the end of the day, Kurapika and the three ladies had worked their way through the stack of papers. Passing Durdona his two piles, she sorted through the unpaid invoices and gasped. “Look! The due date for this is tomorrow, _and_ it’s a high value transaction. I can’t approve it – we’re going to need Chrollo to sign it off.”

“It’s getting late, is he even going to be in the office?”

“He won’t be, he’s giving a talk at the local university this evening – he’s probably going to go straight home after that.”

“What are we going to do?”

“Kurapika.” The woman next to him said suddenly, a sly smile spreading across her face, “You’ve got Chrollo’s phone number, don’t you?”

“I do, but –” Kurapika started, wondering where this was going. Was he the only one who had the director’s number?

“The talk will finish in about an hour. Can you give him a call and ask him to come over and sign it?” She snatched the invoice from Durdona and passed it to him. “You’ll have to stay a bit later, but we’re old ladies with children and cats to take care of. You don’t mind, do you?”

The other women turned to look at Kurapika, their eyes urging him to agree.

“I don’t mind,” He said nervously, not buying their excuses, “I’ll let him know about it.”

“If you’re okay with it, then it does make things easier,” Durdona said. “Thank you, Kurapika. You’ve been a great help.”

The women cleared their things away and left Kurapika in the office. He spent the last hour going through his notes from the morning, before checking the time and pulling out his phone.

He dialed Chrollo’s number and waited for him to respond.

\---

Chrollo was walking up the stairs of his apartment building after a long day as his phone vibrated in his pocket. He pulled out his phone and looked at it as he unlocked the door, a little surprised to see Kurapika calling. Stepping inside, he dropped his bag and pressed answer.

“Hey, Kurapika,” he said.

"Good evening, Chrollo," Kurapika said in a businesslike tone. "I'm sorry to call about work at this hour, but there is an urgent invoice that needs signing off by tomorrow."

He pulled the sheet of paper towards him to look at it. "The value is over 1 million marus so it needs your signature, would you be free to come by and sign it?"

“I see,” Chrollo commented, sitting down by his dining table. “I just got home –but I won’t be in before late afternoon tomorrow…” He hadn’t been home for a couple of nights, and he did feel quite exhausted. He pondered the situation for a few seconds before continuing.

“Would you mind bringing it here?”

“... To your apartment?” Kurapika asked, a little taken aback. There was no questioning it though, the invoice needed to be signed and he couldn’t inconvenience Chrollo more than he already had. He took out some pen and paper, “Of course, if you could give me your address, I’ll look it up and head over now.”

"Of course," Chrollo replied, actually a little relieved. "It's on 28 Araneae Street, apartment number 1/13. It shouldn't be hard to find."

Kurapika thanked him and hung up, making sure to put the invoice safely in a plastic folder before sandwiching it between two textbooks and putting it in his bag. He looked up Chrollo’s address on his phone map and frowned. The house was almost in the complete opposite direction to his – not that it was inconvenient, but he remembered the night that Chrollo walked him home after their run in the park. He would have had to loop around the museum grounds again in order to get back to Araneae Street. It didn’t make sense.

He shrugged to himself and left the office, making sure to turn all the lights off before he left.

\---

Kurapika arrived at Chrollo’s house about twenty minutes later. The director lived in a large, utilitarian building, with several flats on the premises. _Number 1/13_ , Kurapika thought to himself. _Isn’t 13 an unlucky number?_

Upon finding it, he checked the time and adjusted the strap of his bag on his shoulder before pressing the doorbell. He felt nervous – even if he was here for work reasons, it seemed strange to turn up on his boss’s doorstep at what would usually be considered dinner time. Almost a minute elapsed with no answer and Kurapika wondered if Chrollo had heard the chime. His finger hovered over the button, debating whether or not to press the doorbell again just as the door finally opened.

“Hey, sorry to make you come all the way here…” Chrollo said with a smile and held the door open for him.

“No problem at.. all...,” Kurapika said, trailing off as their eyes met. The delay must have been due to having caught Chrollo in the shower. He stood barefoot in the doorway with his wet hair dripping onto an open hoodie that may as well not have been there, for how little it seemed to cover. The bright blue shirt he had worn yesterday had been distracting enough as it was, but now, Kurapika had to stop himself from lowering his eyes any further. Instead, he fixated on the tattoo on the man’s forehead. The late visit to his boss’s flat was unconventional enough – he hadn’t expected to come across him half dressed.

“I... I’m sorry for inconveniencing you like this, too” Kurapika said, looking away from Chrollo as he responded. “Durdona sends her apologies as well, but it was an urgent matter – it’ll be very quick,” he added, “I don’t want to take up too much of your time...”

"Oh no, don't worry about it," Chrollo replied. "I'm thankful you brought it, – I had a quite long day already," he explained as he leaned back against the door a bit, making space for Kurapika to enter.

"Please come in, and I'll sign it," he said with a smile. "I'll make us some tea too, as an apology."

Kurapika nodded and entered without another word, passing so close he almost brushed Chrollo. He stepped into the room and began to look around, trying to find a place to put the papers.

Despite the upmarket area and the flashy facade, the flat itself was quite simple. It seemed no bigger than Kurapika’s own small studio, and in contrast to Chrollo’s fancy office, the decor was rather modest. In fact, there was almost no decor at all.

The rest of the room was a bit of a mess. The kitchen was small and opened to a cluttered living area, where there was a large bookshelf that was overflowing with books. They spilled out onto the floor and into the various corners of the room, lying in lopsided piles. A small dining table housed yet more books and papers, as well as a laptop computer and empty mugs. How did Chrollo have so many possessions? The flat gave an air of being clean but very cluttered. Kurapika wondered how he found anything in the mess. He had to have some sort of system.

"Where would you like me to put the documents?" Kurapika asked, feeling a little lost. He didn't want to comment on the untidiness. It looked like Chrollo had a deeply human side. Was it okay for him to see his boss like this?

"Just on the table somewhere is fine," Chrollo answered as he went to the small kitchen and picked up the kettle. "How was your day?" he asked as he took out two mugs and a box of tea bags from the cupboard and placed them on top of a pile of books on the table

"It was fine," Kurapika replied, setting his bag on one of the chairs. "I did some dissertation work in the morning, but Durdona’s team needed some help in the office so I spent most of the day there."

He moved a few books out of the way, placing them neatly in a pile before taking the plastic folder containing the invoice out. He placed the paper in the space he had cleared. "It's here," he said, his eye on the small box of tea bags rather than on Chrollo’s open hoodie.

"Thank you," Chrollo said, smiling at Kurapika. Just then, the kettle went off and he added "I'll take a look at it in a second,” as he picked it up. “Please sit down, –well, either here or on the sofa, whichever you prefer," he said, turning around to pour the hot water.

Kurapika moved his bag out of the way and sat down on the chair in front of Chrollo as he turned to make the tea. He looked up to thank his boss for the unexpected hospitality, but as he did, the man leaned forward to pour, allowing the unzipped sides of his hoodie to dip open. Kurapika coloured slightly, finally unable to stop himself from glancing at Chrollo’s bare chest.

The director was well-toned and his muscles were sharply defined without being overly bulky. Kurapika understood why the shirt Chrollo had worn the day before in the archives had such an effect.

“… Thank you,” Kurapika said, the words a little delayed as he looked away and gathered his thoughts back into order. “For the tea, I mean – and for your time.”

“Nothing to thank me for,” Chrollo replied as he put the kettle back and then moved one of the tea mugs to a book pile closer to Kurapika. “Here you go,” he said, noting the small blush on the boy’s cheeks with another smile.

He sat down next to Kurapika and picked up the invoice, leaning back to look it over. It really was nothing out of the ordinary, just silly bureaucracy requiring his signing.

Kurapika let his tea steep for a moment before taking a sip, cradling the cup in his hands. At the same time, he found himself studying Chrollo again as he read through the invoice. The expression on the man's face as he checked it over was relaxed and a little bored. Kurapika felt oddly tense looking at him, but he resisted the urge to fidget, waiting for the man to finish.

Finally Chrollo placed the invoice on the table again and dug around for a pen from between a couple of books. He quickly wrote down the date and signed it.

"Well then, job done," he chuckled, and took a sip of his tea. "That's really such a pointless rule. Not that I mind it bringing you here,” he finished with a smile.

“You make it sound like the only reason you agreed to sign this was to see me,” Kurapika said, irritated by the director’s forwardness. He stood up before speaking again, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “I’m touched – but rules exist for a reason, and I probably ought to head home soon.”

Chrollo raised an eyebrow, looking up at the now standing boy. He smirked, impressed by his courageous attitude. “Actually, had I had a choice I would’ve gone straight to bed. Holding lectures all day is quite draining.”

He lifted the invoice and stood up before continuing. “But as you say, stupid or not, the rule is there, so I didn’t have that choice.” Leaning his hip against the table he looked at Kurapika again. “Getting to see you and your delightful sarcasm is what made it worth staying up for.”

He held out the invoice to Kurapika and continued. “You better take this, since I won’t be in tomorrow morning. So you didn’t come here in vain.”

Kurapika took the invoice carefully, placing it in the plastic folder before slipping it into his shoulder bag, ready to go. He couldn’t let himself be tricked by Chrollo and his deceptive smiles – it seemed strange to think that he sounded _almost_ sincere when he said that seeing Kurapika was worth staying up for.

“Well, I wouldn’t want to have deprived you of your beauty sleep for nothing,” Kurapika said, giving the man a pointed look. ”I’ll be sure to deliver this bright and early tomorrow morning in your absence.”

Chrollo laughed, looking down. He was honestly humoured by the boy’s words, fascinated by how disregarding of Chrollo’s authority he had become at times.

“Please do,” he said as he looked back up at Kurapika, a quite wide smile still on his face. “You’re quite incredible,” he said, eyes straight on the boy. Then he straightened up and picked up their tea mugs from the table. “Don’t worry, I’ll keep myself beautiful enough for your taste”, he said with a smirk in Kurapika’s direction as he moved the cups to the sink.

“I probably won’t be around much for the next couple of days, so just, good luck with the writing. If there’s anything just call or text me. There’s not much time left is there? So you better go keep yourself pretty too.” He smiled again and nodded towards the door.

Kurapika paused, and then nodded, “R-Right. I’ll do that, then.” he said, feeling as though his sarcasm had been thoroughly thrown back at him.

"I'll let you know if anything comes up," he said finally, heading towards the door in a sort of retreat. "Good night!"

"Good night," Chrollo said after him, as Kurapika headed out the door in a hurry. As the door closed he sat down and leaned his head back against the wall with a sigh. Had his words worked, or had he just messed up his own plan again? Kurapika was a harder nut to crack than he had expected sometimes, but still, it was clear the boy was indeed falling for him. But would Kurapika let it happen?

Leaving the tea mugs just as they were, still half full in the sink, he stood back up and stripped on the way to the bedroom. Turning off the lights he slumped down on his bed with another sigh. Thoroughly tired, from long days with barely any sleep, as well as analysing and trying to keep up with Kurapika's emotions, he groaned into his pillow before turning on his side and slinking under the covers.

An early night, so he could wake up in time to check up on his toy. Before other duties called.

  


 


End file.
